Bonds Of Time
by WhiteWolfBex
Summary: When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose wakes up somewhere she never could have imagined; the past. Canon pairings. Rated T for Language, Violence, and some non-graphic lemons. First multi-chapter fic.
1. Remain Nameless

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for now. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__I felt myself falling, felt Lissa catching me and yelling something—maybe to me, maybe to someone else. There was so much commotion in the room that I didn't know what had happened with Tasha. There was just me and the pain that my mind was trying to block out. The world seemed to grow quieter and quieter. I saw Lissa looking down on me, shouting something I couldn't hear. She was beautiful. Brilliant. Crowned in light . . . but there was darkness closing in around her. And in that darkness, I saw the faces . . . the ghosts and spirits that always followed me. Thicker they grew, closing in. Beckoning.__

__Last Sacrifice__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds of Time****

****Chapter One****

****Remain Nameless****

The arms of Death were wrapping around me, suffocating me, and holding me down in the deepest pit of darkness. My screams and pleas for an end to the madness came out as nothing but whimpers and whispers lost in the chaos that I could not see. Then, like an angel she appeared. Shadow Kissed Anna stood, shrouded in a dim gray fog, that illuminated my surroundings. I suddenly wished for the cover of darkness. I was surrounded. Ghostly forms pushed and shoved up against me and at their contact, I realized that I too was one of them. I was dead.

The smell of smoke pulled me from my nightmare and I sat straight up in bed, holding onto my chest and still half-feeling the impact of the bullet. My other hand flailed about in the darkness, searching for a source of light, and I groaned when my elbow connected with the corner of the nightstand. Through the tingling of my fingers I fumbled with the lamp's switch and brought the world back into blinding view. Squinting at the bright intrusion, I rubbed at my eyes, not trusting them at all by that point. They didn't seem to be working very well anyway.

A soft snore in the corner startled me and I turned to see Lissa laying on her own twin bed, tangled up in her sheets. My heart beat loudly in my ears and I could feel the room spinning around me. _This can't be happening._ I slapped my own cheek _hard_. But the scenery didn't change, nor did I wake up.

_The last thing I remembered was Tasha Ozera shooting at Lissa and I dove in front of her, catching the bullet in my chest. But then again, I remembered arguing with Lissa over eating leftovers or ordering a pizza._

__I have to be dreaming.__I thought to myself. __There is no way in hell I went through all of that only to end up back in this shithole.__

The tiny apartment that Lissa and I lived in for eight months while staying in Portland hadn't changed a bit. It was just as it had been almost a year ago. Right down to old Oscar staring up at me with his big yellow cat eyes. The dying embers of a candle in the corner of the room had been the source of smoke that had woken me. Years of paranoia and training had taught me that Moroi and fire were not friends, unless it was the element they wielded. Despite the fact that I was sure my mind was playing tricks on me, I had to be sure it was out and quickly stood on shaky limbs to put the lid on the glass jar so that the fire was safely out.

_It couldn't have been a dream. It was all too vivid._ I argued with my own rationality. There was no way even my wild imagination could make up something so real. There had to be another explanation. _A person cannot simply dream ten months worth of life experiences only to freaking wake up and none of it be real. _That shit just didn't happen.

_I'm never eating old leftovers again._ I told myself. _The weird dreams just aren't worth it. _

_But what if they came true?_

It was all too much to comprehend. I had to get out of there, but there was no way in hell I could leave Lissa by herself. So I walked back to our room and shook her shoulder, but she just groaned and rolled over.

"Come on, pookie." I teased her. "Uppity up. Rose is getting impatient."

"Talking about yourself in the third person is ridiculously irritating." She groaned, chucking a pillow at me.

I felt the darkness seeping through the bond and placed my hand on her shoulder, drawing away every bit I could.

"I'm sorry, Liss," I said for the hundredth time, "We're being watched. I don't know if they're from Court, School, or worse; Strigoi. I need to get us out of here."

My crazy dream went unmentioned. Lissa had enough problems to deal with without my craziness barging in.

"Rose," she looked at me with a tired and pitiful expression as she tied her shoes and watched me throw our meager belongings into bags, "there's no way they could have found us. We've been very careful about covering our tracks. Are you sure?"

"I'm not willing to risk it either way." I nodded at her, picking a grumpy Oscar out of her arms and placing him on the couch. "If they know we're here they'll make us go back with them. Neither of us want that."

Okay, sure, I was lying through my teeth and mostly guessing, but what else was I supposed to say? __'I'm having time traveling dreams of the future and if you don't come with me now, they may make me repeat high school. Also I might end up doing the nasty with my fine ass guardian teacher.'__ She'd have me committed.

"Do you know how we're going to leave?" Lissa asked a very important question.

"Compel Jeremy to let us borrow his car." I told her, ignoring the bad feeling that I had, "Tell him that we'll leave it at the train station. He can easily take his bike or a cab to pick it up. No biggie."

"I hate this." Lissa growled, picking up one of her tiny fuchsia plants and tucking it under her arm.

The three duffel bags containing our meager belongings were heavy, but as a fairly strong dhampir, they weren't more than I could handle. Lissa gawked as I slung the bags onto my back and opened the door for her to leave first. Urging her to hurry, I almost trampled her on the stairs as the largest bag tipped forward, pushing her against the door to the kitchen. Jeremy walked in, a stack of books under his arm and his keys in his hand, smiling at the sight of Lissa and ignoring me completely. It really made me feel loved.

Lissa had the keys to our housemate's car in hand when Jeremy opened the door for her minutes later, looking dazed and enraptured. Lissa held up a hand, waving goodbye with a sad frown tugging at her cheeks, making me feel even worse. The dark circles under her eyes told me that she really needed to feed soon, but I couldn't risk losing that much energy at that moment. If my dream came true and we had been found, _he_ was somewhere out there, at exactly that moment, waiting for us. No matter how much I wanted to see him with my own two eyes, I couldn't risk Lissa. We had to keep running.

"Stay quiet." I told Lissa, staying close to her side as we trudged down the brightly lit sidewalk.

There was very little noise outside, which was both a good and bad sign. We were in a very safe neighborhood, but usually you could still hear music coming from the neighboring buildings that housed college kids. Lissa handed me the keys to the Honda and I didn't hesitate to unlock the doors and place the bags in the backseat. Lissa shivered despite the warm fall air and I knew it wasn't because she was cold. I could feel her fear and uncertainty flowing through the bond. Trying to give her some form of comfort, I slipped off my old hoodie and placed it on her shoulders, leaving me in a tank top, shorts and sneakers. I felt more than a little exposed.

Lissa looked up at the third story window that led to our old bedroom. "I don't want to leave."

My response was cut off when I heard the rustling of clothing coming from a block away.

"Fuck," I hissed, handing Lissa the keys, "they're here. Meet me at the train station. I'll distract them until you're out of sight and then I'll meet you there."

"No!" Lissa held the keys so tightly that I thought they were going to cut into her skin. "Just get in! We'll go together!"

"We're surrounded, Liss," I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her into the driver's seat. "I'll meet you there in an hour. If I'm not there by then, leave on the first train without me."

"I can't." Lissa's tears flowed down her face as the darkness began to overwhelm her.

My hand stayed on her shoulder as I focused on our bond, doing my best to pull the rest of the darkness from her.

"Go!" I gritted my teeth as the rage started to flow through me.

Lissa took off like a shot in the little green car, its taillights disappearing into the distance, giving me the reassurance that she was okay for the time being. I only had to worry about myself.

Like a magnet, I felt his presence. _He_ was across the road, standing under the streetlight, his face shrouded in the shadows cast by the yellow bulb. He had been watching Lissa and I. I could feel it. No matter how realistic my dream had been, I wasn't going to take that chance, I wouldn't trust it. I wouldn't trust him. I had to keep Lissa safe. Even if that meant beating the hell out of a really hot guy, or getting my ass kicked by one.

Acting like a late night jogger, I pulled the hair tie off my wrist and pulled my hair up into a bun, appearing as though I didn't even notice him. The small alley behind me was leading in the opposite direction Lissa was heading, but if I was fast enough and took a few detours, I had plenty of time to lose him and meet her for the morning train to Los Angeles. His steps were quick and quiet as he crossed the street toward me and I didn't hesitate to take off running like a horse at the track. My pace was steady and sure, but I knew that he would catch up to me soon. I was grossly out of shape and had already started to feel winded. After running almost a block away, I heard his voice. The deep sweet sound of it startled me so badly that I stumbled into a low hanging tree branch and was effectively knocked off of my feet and fell flat onto my ass. My head was pounding and my chest felt badly bruised from where the branches hit me, but I got back up and started running again.

"Miss Hathaway," he wasn't even out of breath though he was running just as fast as I was, "we need you and Princess Dragomir to return to St. Vladimir's at once."

My feet kept going even though I wanted to stop. Some weird and demented part of me wanted to turn around and look at his face and find a man that I could fall in love with, but I pushed it away. If I did that everything that Lissa and I had been through to get away from that damned place would be for nothing. She didn't need that kind of stress. We were doing just fine on our own. Just thinking of that dream and just how bad things could get if we were to return to the Academy had me picking up my pace and running faster than I ever had before.

It wasn't long before I realized that I'd lost him, but I wasn't stupid enough to believe that I had outrun him. He'd let me go.

__'Love fades. Mine has. Love fades. Mine has.'__ His words rang loudly in my ears as I kept a steady pace and tried to push the dream to the back of my mind.

* * *

The train station was a beacon of sorts, casting tall beams of light into the parking lot in front of me. After a quick search, I found Jeremy's car parked beside the main platform. But I already knew that she hadn't avoided capture. My heart felt like it was in my throat as I took the last few steps to the doors. Something was wrong. I'd felt Lissa's irritation and fear while I ran through the lot, but now, all I felt from her was resignation. I didn't dare waste time to look into her mind through our bond. I needed to find her and fast.

It was easier than I thought it would be and at the same time so much worse. The train station was completely deserted except for the dozen guardians that surrounded Lissa.__He__was at the front of the group, kneeling in front of Lissa and speaking to her in a quiet tone.

"Leave her the fuck alone," I _growled_, making all of the guardians turn their attention on me, "You want to bully someone, well come and fucking get it."

"Rose!" Lissa's distress poured through the bond, spurring me into action.

The darkness took over and my vision was shrouded in red. The stanchion poles - that kept people from cutting in line - seemed like a good choice of weapon and before I could even register my own actions I had ripped one away from the group and wielded the metal bar like a baseball bat.

The first guardian that came at me didn't stand a chance. He ran at me in a tackle and subdue maneuver that I quickly countered by dodging to the side and hitting him in the ribs with the pole. Number Two came at me thinking that brawn would win. He'd used the other guardian as a distraction while he quietly moved in from behind me. Grabbing me by the tops of my shoulders, he squeezed, trying to get me to drop the pole. Instead I let myself go limp. The suddenness of my dead weight in his arms caught him off guard and I used his own momentum to throw him over my shoulder and slam him hard into the tile floor. Three was off to my right, but he was slower than the others. With a lightning quick punch to the throat he was on his knees choking for air.

My own breaths came in hard shallow gasps as I narrowed my eyes at the other nine and readied myself for the fight.

"ROSE!" Lissa screamed at me, making the bond even harder to ignore as my vision blurred.

My whole body shook in sharp tremors while I grounded myself for the fight, watching all six foot seven of sexy, Russian, bad ass walking toward me. He didn't look happy to see me either. Everything fell sideways, my legs giving out beneath me, but I was helpless to brace myself for the fall. I could only watch as he lurched forward, wrapping me up in his arms, and keeping me from hitting the floor.

He released his hold on me immediately, and I fell to my hands and knees, retching and coughing up large amounts of blood onto the concrete floor.

My laugh came out like an odd gurgling sound. "Fucking trees, right, comrade?"

The other eight guardians surrounded me, and for a moment I felt a little bit of an ego boost that they considered little old me as such a threat. That is until Lissa ran into the circle and slammed into me, knocking the last bit of air from my lungs.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" She put her hands on my head like she was going to try to heal me. "You're coughing up blood!"

"I'm okay, Liss, I just bit the inside of my mouth," I weakly pushed her hands away, "they didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No," Lissa sighed in defeat. "I'm okay. They didn't hurt me. But I think we're going to have to go with them."

"Not if you don't want to." I told her seriously, ready to get up and fight if necessary, but she shook her head, knowing that I could feel the fear and desperation she was trying to hide.

"We need to leave, now."__He__ pulled me to my feet and kept a firm hold on me, whether to keep me from running or to support me, I didn't know. But I knew that walking on my own wasn't really looking like an option at that moment, so I let him.

* * *

The private jet was just as posh as it had been in my dream and I leaned back in the comfortable leather seats and pulled my knees up to my chest, trying to get some relief from the pain. I knew for a fact that I'd fucked myself up pretty bad by running into that tree. Hell, my chest felt like it'd been caved in. My head hurt like a son of a bitch and every breath that I took made me feel like I was slowly drowning. It made me very thankful that this time around they still hadn't let me sit next to Lissa. She was up in the front of the cabin with her six guardians, her head leaned back as she snored quietly. That made me feel both at ease and on edge at the same time. She was safe with them, I knew that, but still I didn't want her to go back to that place.

Bad ass Russian sat to my right, giving me these odd glances, and staring at me like I had three legs.

"How badly are you injured?" He asked with narrowed dark eyes. "I know you lied to the Princess."

"Punctured lung, cracked ribs, concussion." While I tried to sound nonchalant, my flinching and wheezing probably killed that effect. "Well, possible concussion. I've got a pretty hard head."

"I can see that." He held a plush white towel in his hand, staring at my forehead in deep thought. "Can I help stop the bleeding?"

"Have at it." I turned slightly in my seat and really looked at him for the first time, though I had seen him a thousand times before.

My heart broke in that moment and I didn't know whether it was Lissa's sadness that I was feeling or my own, but when I looked into Dimitri's dark brown eyes I felt as though my world had been turned upside down. I had not allowed myself to think of his name until then. To name him would have made it personal and I wasn't sure if I could take that. It hadn't been a dream. I realized. I lived through every second of it and I knew it. I had loved this man with all my heart and he had loved me right back.

"You were very brave to protect her like that." Dimitri said gently, wiping the blood from my forehead and lips. "You will make a fine guardian someday."

"If I survive that long." I turned to stare out the window, not really in the mood to talk anymore.

My mind and heart battled fiercely between knowing the reason why our relationship had ended and not want to feel that pain again, and hoping that it would be better this time around. Either way, I was in no shape to decide tonight. It'd definitely be something I'd obsess over later though.

Good old Vampire Academy appeared in the moonlit distance, her Gothic architecture standing out like a sore thumb, surrounded by the beautiful Montana mountains. It reminded me of a zombie in a field of daisies. It just looked wrong. After all of the trials I had faced, and all that I accomplished, I still couldn't comprehend the fact that I was back. I didn't want to be back, but I also didn't want to go back to running away. I felt lost.

**End Chapter One**

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**I've recently gone through and edited this story to make it a bit easier to read. I apologize for any lingering errors.**

**Thanks for reading! Drop me a line and let me know what you think.**


	2. Shake It Out

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__My pride was still hurt over the ease with which Dimitri had tricked us, but it occurred to me that he might very well keep me here with Lissa. Better to stay at this hellhole than be without her. Through our bond, I could feel her trickle of hope.__

__"Who's going to put in the extra time?" demanded Kirova. "You?"__

__Dimitri's argument came to an abrupt stop. "Well, that's not what I—"__

__Kirova crossed her arms with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what I thought."__

__Clearly at a loss, he frowned. His eyes flicked toward Lissa and me, and I wondered what he saw. Two pathetic girls, looking at him with big, pleading eyes? Or two runaways who'd broken out of a high-security school and swiped half of Lissa's inheritance?__

__"Yes," he said finally. "I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."__

__"And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. " She goes unpunished?"__

__"Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."__

__Vampire Academy__

__**\- Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Two****

****Shake It Out****

The second the SUV stopped my seat belt was unbuckled for me and I was pulled from the back seat like a disobedient toddler. A million snappy comments came to mind but I kept my mouth clamped tightly shut. I wanted to whine and complain about my treatment, but I really didn't think my captor would appreciate my sense of humor when I had bested three of his guys. Dimitri held my arm tightly and I looked over and smiled at Lissa as he half dragged me across campus. She'd been in another vehicle with her entourage of four guardians, including the three that I had beat the hell out of, and was actually getting to walk to her own fate.

Clusters of students were littered about the courtyard waiting for their next class when we walked through, but Dimitri was a man on a mission and didn't bat an eye at having two hundred plus teenagers staring at him. I, on the other hand, was eating it up. My white tank top was splattered in blood. My shorts were showing off my nicely scraped and dirty knees. Leaves and twigs were stuck throughout my ponytail. A flap of flesh was dangling from my forehead. Yeah, I looked totally bad ass. Camille Conta's gum fell out of her gaping mouth. Jesse Zeklos' eyes almost popped out of his head when I smiled widely, showing off my blood stained teeth and winking at him. And Mason. Mason was alive and whole and smiling at me, holding two thumbs up in honor of my legendary entrance.

Well, it would have been legendary if I hadn't once again collapsed onto my hands and knees and vomited a large amount of blood and bile onto the highly polished black leather shoes belonging to a very tiny Moroi girl. She lurched back in disgust and sneered at me with no small amount of loathing in her eyes. My laugh came out as a string of high pitched wheezes that would have sounded amusing had it not hurt so bad.

"Mia?" I licked my lips and looked up at her, tilting my head to the side. "Is that you? You haven't grown a bit."

"Hathaway," Dimitri pulled me back up, "we need to get you to the clinic."

"I'm okay," The metallic taste in my mouth was horrible and I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. "I don't need the clinic."

Extreme unease flooded through the bond and I was forcefully pulled into Lissa's mind without being able to stop it. Lissa walked into Kirova's office feeling like she was going up against a firing squad. Her fear doubled when the vulture like Headmistress stalked toward her with fury in her eyes. But a loud cough interrupted the bitch fest that was yet to be.

Victor Dashkov sat in the far corner, looking shittier than ever and I had to repress a growl at the thought of him being in the same room as Lissa. She ran into his waiting arms, bursting into tears when he hugged her. Despite my new-found knowledge and hatred for the sorry sack of crap, all Lissa could feel was loads of love for the deteriorating scrap of a man. But there was nothing I could say or do to get him out of here without large amounts of evidence that I simply didn't have._ Yet._ I wanted to vomit, again.

Thankfully, Kirova interrupted their reunion by interrogating Lissa at length about me kidnapping her. Lissa was vehement in my defense, claiming that it had all been her idea. That she had felt like she was going crazy before. She also said something that made my heart swell in pride.

"_I was going to go with or without Rose." Angry tears were leaking from her eyes, while she pointed her finger at Kirova in accusation. "I wouldn't be alive today had she not been there to save me from the psi-hounds that you sent. They were going to kill me!"_

_Okay, that part made me cringe just a little bit. Thanks to something called automobiles, the psi-hounds were fairly simple to evade. Not to mention the fact that it was Victor that sent them._

"_Be assured, Miss Dragomir," Kirova leaned forward and stared at Lissa, an insulted look on her face, "we never sent psi-hounds after you, just guardians. But it's no matter now, you're back and you're safe. You may leave now and attend your third period class. I think you'll find your books and belongings where you left them in the dorms. Guardian Petrov will escort you to your first class."_

"_But what about Rose?" Lissa didn't move from her chair, looking both shocked and more than a little irritated. "She's hurt. May I go see her first?"_

_"It's not advisable." Kirova stuck her beak in the air. "You will wait until she is released from the clinic."_

_"What will happen to her after that?" Lissa close to compelling answers from the older woman, I could feel the determination bubbling up in her._

"_Miss Hathaway's future at this school has yet to be decided." Kirova looked far too happy about that. "She will receive medical care and we will figure out whether or not we allow her to continue her education. Now please, Miss Dragomir, you're already running late."_

Darkness flooded into her mind, as she gave into her fear, but I wouldn't let her jeopardize herself. Pulling all of it from her at once was like touching a live electric wire and a dead body at the same time. The pure rage and hatred that the darkness caused felt gross and slimy in my mind and at the same time gave me enough energy to pull my mind back to my own body.

Dimitri hovered over me shaking my shoulders and repeating my name. The bright florescent lights in the clinic assaulted my eyes and I cringed away, instinctively raising a hand to block out the light. The feel of my back rubbing against the thin sheets grated on my nerves. The hum of the lights made me homicidal. The pain surging through my body begged me to inflict pain on someone else.

I took in a shaky breath to calm myself before speaking. "Whoa, Comrade," I tried to gently break his iron grip, afraid that I might lose control and hurt him, "I might just puke again if you keep moving me."

"You were catatonic." Dimitri looked at me with worried eyes. "I couldn't get you to respond."

"I was with Lissa," I internally winced at my careless choice of words.

The whole time travel dream crap was starting to get confusing. _This_ Dimitri had no clue of the bond that I had with Lissa. Aggravated, I slapped the palm of my hand into my forehead, then yelped when the searing pain erupted on impact. I had also forgotten about my own freaking injuries. It was not a good night for me. Figures that it had to be a Wednesday. I hated Wednesdays.

"We have a bond." I gazed up at him dazedly.

Dimitri and seen him staring at me with narrowed eyes. "Explain."

"I can sense her emotions." My tone was harsh and my slurred speech made no sense to my own ears, but there was really no way for me to control it at the moment. "It helps me keep her safe."

He probably thought I was going insane, and I couldn't help but think that he might be right. Any comments he might have had were brutally interrupted by another round of bloody coughs. I tried to pull in a breath full of air, but choked violently on the air itself.

"Doctor!" Dimitri called for help, turning me onto my side.

Dr. Olendzki rounded the corner with a young blond Moroi nurse right behind her. My perverted young mind automatically went to what the two of them could have been up to in the back room while I was drowning in my own fluids and waiting for them to show up. Fortunately there was no sexiness involved with what they did to me. The procedure of having the fluid drained from ones was far less fun than it sounded. There were tubes, there was a lot of gagging and the pain was enough to knock my ass out cold. Thankfully my non-consentual sleep was peaceful and pain free thanks to the good drugs they put me on.

While I was unconscious, I was pulled into Lissa's mind once again. She was back in Kirova's office and Dimitri was sitting in the chair to her left. Kirova looked far less friendly without Victor in the room.

"_Miss Hathaway may have tagged along with Miss Dragomir," Dimitri said in a serious tone, "but I have reason to believe that she didn't do so out of malice or rebellion. I sincerely think that she did what she thought would be best for the Princess. I also have reason to believe that the two girls share a bond."_

"_It's true," Lissa put her head down._

"_Impossible." Kirova exclaimed, looking at Lissa with disbelief etched on her face._

"_I have seen it for myself." Dimitri nodded at her. "Also, Miss Hathaway was able to take out three fully trained guardians while badly injured and she would have attempted to fight the rest of us had Miss Dragomir not stopped her."_

"_That only shows that she is uncontrollable." Kirova scoffed. "The girl has a history of being violent and rebellious. And that's besides the point. She is too far behind in her training. We don't have the staff to dedicate to get her back up to speed with her peers."_

I fought against the bond and returned to my own sleepy mind. _I didn't like staying in Lissa's mind any longer than I had to. It just felt wrong. _My heart hurt at the thought of being sent away from Lissa. It almost hurt worse to think of being away from Dimitri. Dream or not, I remembered everything with perfect clarity. It didn't help my sanity that things were playing out in the exact same way. It was disturbing to think that the horrors I'd faced would have to be revisited, but in the same sense, if the dream was coming true, I had the opportunity to change everything. I could save a lot of lives. I could prevent terrible things from happening, or at least I thought I could. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the craziness of my current situation.

My mind went back to the night at the little cabin on the edge of the grounds. The night I'd slept with Dimitri. Yeah, there is no way even my vivid imagination could make up something _that_ great.

I fell asleep remembering the way it felt to lay in Dimitri's arms, letting his large warm arms guard me from everything and everyone in the world.

* * *

My eyes were still foggy with sleep when Dr. Olendzki woke me first thing the next evening, sentencing me to another day in the clinic until my ribs were fully mended. The elderly doctor smiled kindly and patted my hand as she injected another round of the good shit into my IV, making the residual pain ebb into the background.

Kirova shown up to visit me not long after, letting me know just when and what I'd be released to do.

"Miss Hathaway," Kirova looked at me like she was ready to strangle me with her bare hands, "Despite me own reservations, it has been decided that you can return to classes. But be warned that you are here on strict probationary terms. If you step one toe out of line I will have you shipped out of this school faster than you can blink. In that same light I want to let you know that you will not be allowed to attended anything other than classes and meals. You will have to double your workload to catch up to your peers and you will be taking on extra training with Guardian Belikov at any time he demands. Taking Miss Dragomir out of this school is by far the stupidest thing I've ever seen a novice do and I will not have you setting a bad example for the other students. Do you understand the conditions I have set?"

"Yes ma'am." I put my head down and tried to keep from smirking at the fact that Kirova had spit all over Dr. Olendzki's chart during her rant.

"Do you have anything to say to explain your deplorable actions?" Kirova asked with a smug tone.

The poor woman thought that she had me all subdued and broken. "Miss Karp was the one to convince us to leave."

The minute that I said the name of the former instructor, Kirova's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but I didn't shut up. "Miss Karp looked me right in the eyes and told me that I had to get Lissa out of the school. She told me that we had to leave or Lissa would be in danger. It didn't really make sense to me at the time, but when Lissa came to me crying and begging for us to leave. I had no choice but to go with her. I couldn't let her go alone and I wasn't sure who to trust."

Kirova held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop me from continuing. "While your intentions may have seemed right, you should have told someone that Vasilisa felt threatened here. We would have assured you both that there is absolutely no threat to her at this school."

__Yeah, if you don't count her sadistic uncle and the hyenas that they call teenagers.__ I thought to myself.

"We're done here, Miss Hathaway." Kirova finished, glancing at her nails. "Report to Guardian Belikov first thing in the morning before breakfast. He'll have your revised schedule."

Kirova left without another word and I let out a sigh of relief. I felt much better and wanted nothing more than to get out of here and go see Lissa, but I knew that it wouldn't fly with the good doctor, so I put my head back against the pillows and fell into a restless sleep. My dreams were haunted by a Strigoi Dimitri watching me, teasing me, _biting_ _me_.

* * *

Twenty four hours later, Lissa dropped by for a brief moment, on her way to breakfast. She'd brought one of my favorite track suits - folded neatly in a little bag - along with my bath kit.

"I'll see you at breakfast." She pulled me into a quick hug.

Her weary resignation trickled through the bond. While she'd fed, and slept, making her coloring appear healthier, her state of mind was frayed and worn.

"Chin up, Liss." I lightly punched her shoulder. "We can do this. We are young. We are strong."

Her amusement bolstered my spirits and a smile lit up her face. "Are you seriously quoting Pat Benatar?"

"I work with what I know." I shrugged.

She pulled me into another quick hug, chuckling lightly as she left me to get ready. I made use of the clinic's facilities and had a very relaxing shower, making sure I was thoroughly scrubbed, dressed, and had my game face on. And after a quick word with the nurse I walked out of the clinic with my head held high.

Despite the crappy circumstances, I finally felt like I was back home. The cool fall air felt wonderful as I walked to the guardian offices.__Maybe this time around, I could work a little bit harder to make good grades while trying to save the world.__I thought. Yeah, I really didn't see that happening. Dream DeLorean couldn't dictate a girl's will to live a little.

Dimitri was waiting in the conference room, a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, when I walked in. He lifted his eyes to mine and I saw a glint of some emotion in his eyes that I couldn't quite decipher. He nodded to the chair across from him and I sat down without taking my eyes off of him. At six foot seven he dwarfed just about everyone he came across, even sitting he was a sight to behold. It didn't hurt that he was devastatingly gorgeous. But unlike the Dimitri I had left in my dream, this one didn't have the immense sadness of death hanging on his conscious. This Dimitri didn't have innocent blood on his hands like Dream Dimitri did. And I already knew I would do everything in my power to make sure he never went through that kind of pain.

"Your schedule, Miss Hathaway." He slid the piece of paper across the table.

"Rose." I corrected him. "My name is Rose."

"You're going to miss breakfast, __Rose___._" He said with inflection. "I'll meet you in the gym in thirty minutes."

I stood up and clicked my heels together as I saluted him. "Aye, Aye, Comrade."

He shook his head and sighed in exasperation, but as he went back to his book, I thought I saw the ghost of a smile cross his face.

Breakfast was more wonderful than I could ever have imagined. A girl like me really loved the whole buffet deal that they used at the Academy. By the time I sat down my tray had to have weighed at least five pounds. Lissa looked at the mountain of eggs, bacon and toast with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, seeing that the weary and tired expression had returned.

"I'll be okay," Lissa scrubbed at her face with her palm, "they've put Natalie in my room and she talks nonstop. We were up half the night 'catching up'."

My heart rate picked up dramatically when I thought of the bad things that could happen with Victor's daughter being in Lissa's room. Natalie was a sweet girl, and I really believed that she'd just felt so out of place and lonely at the school that she hadn't realized what a big mistake she was making by going along with her father's schemes. All I had to do was try and help her feel more included. Maybe that would keep her from destroying and ultimately ending her own life in a vain attempt to win her father's attention.

"I saw what happened in Kirova's office." I said in between bites of food. "I appreciate what you said."

"It was all true." Lissa put her hand on top of my empty one. "But really, Rose, you need to start chewing your food. Swallowing it whole can't be good for you."

I smiled at her, showing a mouthful of half chewed bacon, making her giggle and shake her head at me. "You're certainly in a better mood."

"Don't get me wrong," I shook my fork at her and took a gulp of orange juice, "I'm still pissed about that tree whooping my ass, but I can't deny that the food here is better than my cooking."

"Your cooking was great!" Lissa exclaimed. "We never starved and you only set the kitchen on fire twice."

I smiled at the fond memories. "Are the others treating you okay?"

Lissa's smile faltered and I felt her agitation leaking through the bond while I mentally kicked myself for bringing it up. "Aaron's new girlfriend is a real piece of work. And Camille keeps asking stupid questions. But otherwise I haven't really been sticking around long enough for them to talk to me."

"We're the hot gossip for the moment," I told her with an air of acting like it was a good thing, "and don't worry about little Mia. She's probably still pissed off about me puking on her shoes."

Lissa's eyes widened in amusement as she put a hand over her mouth. "You didn't!"

"Oh yeah, bloody puke from shins down." I laughed at the appalled look on her face, "She probably had to throw them away."

The bell rang and Lissa and I both shot up out of our chairs and bussed our trays. "Good luck today, Rose."

"Don't worry about me." I hugged her tightly. "I'll be sparring with the hot Russian all day."

Lissa shot a scandalized look over her shoulder as I took off in the other direction. If she only knew.

****End Chapter Two****


	3. Dog Days Are Over

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for now. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__Scanning the staring, openmouthed novices, I looked for a familiar face. Most of them were guys. One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin.__

__"Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."__

__A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot. He was also one of the funniest guys I knew. We'd been good friends back in the day.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Three****

****Dog Days Are Over****

There was a chorus of cat calls and a whole lot of staring when I walked into the gym. My steps didn't falter as I walked to the middle of the mat and turned to smile at the group of novices that I used to spar with. All eyes were on me, but I had eyes for Mason and Mason alone today. I nodded my head at him with a small smirk.

"You ready for this, Hathaway?" Mason chuckled at me, as he moved into a fighting stance. "I don't want to put you back in the hospital."

"Miss Hathaway will be with me today." Dimitri's voice cut through the din of chatter like it was nothing. "Continue, Ashford."

Mason's face fell in disappointment and I patted him on the back as I walked by. "Next time."

Mason smiled at me as I walked toward Dimitri.

Dimitri looked even better in his work out gear than I remembered. But that might have been my teenage hormones talking. He stood on the edge of the mat and held a pair of sparring gloves in his hands.

"You've proved that you can fight under stressful situations." His Russian accent was coming through a little stronger than before. "Now I need you to show me your restraint."

Dimitri placed the gloves on his hands and positioned his legs into a balanced stance. "I want you to hit the gloves without moving my hands. It takes far more effort to control the force of a punch than it does to give it your all."

Luckily for me, I had already been through this exercise plenty of times in my dream.

I put up my fists and made sure to balance my weight accordingly. My punch was quick and accurate and my knuckles barely brushed the left glove. I repeated this another twenty times in quick succession. I caught that glint in Dimitri's eyes once again and I had to admit that I was slightly proud of myself. I had lost a lot of muscle mass while Lissa and I had been on the run. Sitting on the couch watching TV and eating cheetos did nothing to help the physique. But I was sure that with another month or two of training I would be in tip top shape.

"Now I want you to hit with everything you've got." Dimitri changed tactics and I knew for a fact that he was testing me. "Impress me."

This was the outlet that I had been waiting for. There was no better way to let off steam for me than to pound the living daylights out of something. I got into place, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. When I opened them again I stared deep into Dimitri's eyes.

"How many times?" My voice was a mere whisper and I could tell it caught him off guard.

He studied my face for a moment before he answered. "As many as it takes."

And I didn't hold back. Each punch was packed with all of the hate, rage and pain that I had swimming within me. Every hit left me feeling a little bit lighter. Every bit of freedom from the darkness that I felt only made me want to hit more. It felt like an out of body experience. The euphoria and clarity the exercise brought was like nothing else. Adrenaline was a wild and wondrous thing, but the darkness always dragged me back down.

_Victor torturing Lissa._

Punch.

_The dead bodies of the Drozdov family._

Punch.

_Guardians and Moroi alike slain in cold blood in their home._

Punch.

_Eddie Castille being drained of blood in front of my eyes._

Punch.

_The sound of Mason's neck snapping in Isaiah's iron grip._

Punch. Punch.

_Dimitri being taken by Strigoi right in front of my eyes._

Punch. Punch. Punch.

_Using my own two hands to plunge a stake into the heart of the man I loved._

Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch.

A large hand came down to rest on my shoulder and without thought I turned and struck out with my fist. I felt something stringy brush across my knuckles and I swung at it again.

"ROSE!" Dimitri's yell cut threw the dark haze and I stumbled back gasping for breath.

He stood in front of me with a bewildered expression. Everyone left in the gym was staring at me. I knew this because it was completely silent in the large building. I looked up at Dimitri and I know he could sense how out of sorts I felt.

"Take five, Hathaway." He pointed me toward the bench that had a water fountain next to it. "And bandage your hands."

I looked down to see that my knuckles were shredded through and through. The bone and tissue were clearly visible. Two of the fingers on my left hand had been dislocated and my right thumb was pointing at an odd angle. I grimaced at the sight of my poor hands and sat heavily on the wooden bench, trying to catch my breath. Dimitri sat down a moment later, remaining silent when handed me a paper cup full of water. It felt like bliss on my parched lips and burning throat.

"Thanks," I said quietly, placing the cup on the bench and grabbing the tape from the medical kit.

"What happened back there?" Dimitri asked, taking the tape from my trembling hands.

"To be honest, I have no idea." I shrugged my shoulders. "You told me to put some ass into the hits, so I did? What did I do wrong?"

Dimitri quirked an eyebrow at my language and shook his head. "You zoned out, Rose. When I saw that you were injuring yourself I tried to get you to stop, but you kept going as though you didn't hear me. When I moved out of your way, you moved until you found me. But you didn't respond to me at all. I thought for sure that you'd stop when you broke your thumb, but you only started hitting harder."

"I don't even remember feeling it." I looked down at my battered hands.

"How long do you think we were sparring?" Dimtri pulled my chin up so that I was looking him dead in the eyes.

"Three or four minutes, maybe." My answer was completely honest.

"We've been here for two and a half hours." Dimitri said in concern. "Guardian Alto came here when you didn't show up for class and he couldn't get you to respond. Guardian Petrov had no better luck."

My hackles went up and I couldn't help my incredulous tone. "But you told me to keep taking hits until I was done!"

"You have lost half the flesh on your hands." Dimitri grabbed me by the tops of my shoulders and held me there. "You have broken and dislocated bones. Your blood is covering the mat and the gloves. At what point were you going to stop on your own. Because I thought I was going to have to get a nurse to sedate you! Do you not see why I did not want you sparring with Mr. Ashford? You are a powerful and skilled fighter, but none of that matters when you have no self -control!"

Angry tears pooled in my eyes and I stood up, throwing the cup into the trash can. "I have to get to class."

"No," Dimitri growled out, "You are going to go sit back down and listen to what I have to say."

The bench was looking more and more comfortable by the second. I hadn't realized just how sore my muscles were until I stood up and now my entire body felt like Jell-O. I took the seat next to Dimitri and was surprised when he gently picked up my hand and started disinfecting and bandaging my knuckles. He looked deep in thought and I was likewise at a loss for words. To be honest, I didn't understand what had come over me to make me lose control like that. I'd never claim to be the poster girl for self- control, but I rarely went full out hulk girl on anyone unless they deserved it.

"I was a lot like you when I was your age." Dimitri's tone was quiet and his eyes were focused on his task. "My life had not been easy and I brought all of that anger to the mat with me. But of course I was the largest novice in my school, so it was not easy to find a partner to spar with. Especially when my opponents usually ended up in the clinic. And then one day my mentor took me to the side and told me exactly what I am telling you now. You are nothing unless you are in control of yourself at all times."

"Rose," Dimitri lifted his eyes to meet mine, "I do not want to be called one day to find out that you have injured another person because you lost control. You are stronger than that. I can see it. We will be working together extensively over the next few months and I am not going to lie to you, you will hate me on some of those days, but you will master your emotions."

_Good luck. _I wanted to say. Master my own emotions was a full time job in itself, but added on top of Lissa's, getting a handle on both wouldn't be easy.

"Thank you for giving me a chance." I smiled at him. "You didn't have to stick your neck out like that for me. If I go off the rails again, Kirova is not going to be happy with you."

"Then you better start listening to your instructors." Dimitri gave me a pointed look.

Suddenly, he popped one of my fingers back into joint and I gasped out in pain. "Ow! Fuck, comrade! A little warning would have been nice."

"You will find out quickly that I am not nice." Dimitri gave me a very ominous look that made my knees tremble.

"I don't know you like kinda cuddly." I quipped sarcastically.

He popped the thumb joint back into place and I growled out a low slur of profanities that would have made a sailor blush.

* * *

Guardian Alto was at his desk when I walked into the empty classroom after lunch. He looked up when I knocked on the door frame and narrowed his eyes as he waved me in.

"The great Rose Hathaway is gracing me with her presence. To what do I owe this honor?" His tone was icy and rude and I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from snapping back.

"I apologize for missing class today, sir." I kept my eyes on him and my head held high. "I came by to request a list of homework that I have missed and any supplemental reading you think I could use."

"Well, Hathaway," he had a smug smile on his face, "Guardian Petrov and I have already taken the liberty of gathering everything that you will need to catch up in every class. It's in that box by the door. You can see yourself out."

I turned to see a huge file box overfilled with loose paper and books. My eyes widened at the sheer amount of work I had ahead of me. It would take the rest of the school year to get that finished along with my other work.

"Miss Hathaway," Alto's voice caught me as I was leaving the room, "the Headmistress will be notified if you are late to one more class. So I highly suggest you learn to wear a watch. Also, your homework is due before Thanksgiving break. If I see even one essay with your normal chicken scratch on it you will re-do the entire set. Is that clear."

"Yes, sir." I picked up the box, careful not put too much pressure on my fingers and walked out of the room without another word.

There was roughly six weeks to complete my homework or Alto and Kirova would boot my ass from the academy. That certainly wasn't a comforting thought. But I could do it. I had experienced far worse things. Homework wouldn't kill me.

My old dorm room was bare and drab. My bags sat on the lumpy mattress unpacked and the desk held a coating of dust that made me want to scream. Taking the opportunity of a fresh start, I went across the hall to the supply closet and grabbed what I'd need to make my room livable. It didn't take long, but it was far later than I liked when I started in on the mountain of homework.

By the time I passed out on my bed later that night, I had written so much that I was counting words and not sheep.

* * *

My dream started out normal enough. I was being chased by rabid marshmallows. Their candy corn fangs were bared, dripping in caramel, as they surrounded me, trapping me in the corner of the chocolate swamp with no where to run. I was about to start trying to eat my way out when the scenery changed.

I was standing on the third story balcony of a really swanky looking mansion. The Eiffel Tower towered over everything that surrounded it. The sun was rising in the distance and the air was just warm enough without being stifling. A light continuous breeze made the trees sway gently in the faint orange glow. It was a truly beautiful sight to behold.

"Well this is new." A voice I would recognize anywhere sounded from behind me.

Adrian was standing there looking rumpled in his black silk pajama pants and nothing else. His hair looked like he had been struck by lightning and he was ogling my attire. I looked down to see that I was donning naught but a black, skin tight, silk teddy. I gaped at the expanse of skin I was showing.

__Why, oh why, did I always have to be half naked in these spirit dreams?__"Could you not put some clothes on me, man? I'm bustin' out of this scrap of cloth."

"I've got nothing to do with it, little one, although I'm admiring the view." Adrian held up his hands with a confused grin. "Is this your dream or mine?"

"Oh, it's definitely yours." I hissed at him. "I don't sleep in shit like this."

"But you look marvelous in it." He nodded in appreciation. "How did you get into my dream? Have we met? Because I'm sure I would remember a girl like you."

My knee jerk reaction would be to tell him no. But as I looked at him, I realized something. If there was one person out there that I could trust to keep this secret, it was Adrian. He may have been a bit of a flirt, but he was also immensely kind and sincere. He knew about the side effects of spirit better than anyone, having lived with for all of his life without someone like me to help him.

"No," I shook him, "We haven't met. _Yet._ But we will around Christmas."

"And how do you know that?" Adrian asked with a curious glance as he took a few steps closer to me. "Are you a witch?"

"I'm not a witch! I'm a dhampir!" I maneuvered myself into a sitting position onto the concrete floor, trying my best not to flash my pervy Moroi friend. "And I know because, for me, it's already happened."

I patted the concrete next to me with my hand and Adrian sat down without hesitation. If there was one thing about him, it was that he was never shy. "Explain."

I put a hand to my chest and heaved a sigh of exasperation. "Three days ago I woke up from the most vivid dream in the history of dreams. It was so realistic that I still believe that it really happened. I don't know how or why, but somehow I've traveled through time. I woke up like Marty McFuckinFly, only I didn't get a bad ass car. I had to leave my shit behind, give up everything that I had worked so hard to accomplish, and wake up in a time were I have to go back to freaking high school."

"Whoa," Adrian kind of pulled away from me, "You're still in school?"

"Well I'm in school now." I growled. "This body is seventeen and will never sleep with you, so you can stop flipping out. I swear, Adrian, I tell you I've time traveled and you're worried about my age, not my sanity."

"I'm sure you're just as sane as I am, Hottie McFly." Adrian laughed when I slapped his arm.

"That's not a comforting thought." I shook my head and huffed in annoyance. "You don't believe me."

"I'll believe you if you can tell me something about myself that no one could possibly know." Adrian gave me a look that said that he didn't expect me to know anything about him.

I turned and looked at him with a small smile on my face.

"You're name is Adrian Ivashkov, you're a spirit user who can read people's auras. You drink to block out the darkness that using spirit brings." Adrian's eyes narrowed in disbelief and he leaned a little closer as I continued.

Seeing I had his rapt attention, I continued. "Everyone thinks that you're just a carefree womanizing royal that likes to party and that you never specialized in magic. You prefer them to keep thinking that way because you yourself can't understand your gift. What they don't know is that you are a wonderful and loyal person who just doesn't trust anybody to accept you for who you really are. You also have a heart shaped cigarette burn on your left ass cheek from where you sat on a lit cigarette at your Aunt Tatiana's Christmas party."

"Who are you?" Adrian looked rattled and stared me dead in the eyes. "How do you know me?"

"My name is Rose." I introduced myself under the wave of his compulsion. "You were my friend."

"A friend who's saw my bare ass." Adrian waggled his eyebrows at me. "I like that kind of friend."

"It wasn't very impressive." I scoffed and leaned forward so that I was eye level with him. "And if you ever try to compel me again I'll give you a scar that you won't like."

"Threats and hot air." Adrian laughed. "You've either got some really great inside information, little dhampir," he leaned in closer to me, his clove scented breath warm on my face, "or what you're saying is true. Though I don't really see how time-travel in any extent is possible."

"You're telling me," My laugh sounded kind of hysterical, "I've been back for all of three days and I still can't wrap my head around it."

"What was the last thing you remember from your time?" Adrian asked me with no small amount of curiosity.

"I was trying to protect my friend. Some woman shot at her and I took a bullet to the chest. You and my friend were trying to save me, but the darkness was pulling me under. There was nothing you could do." I looked up to see him staring at me in contemplation.

"Your friend was trying to save you? How?" The look in Adrian's eyes told me that he was already connecting the dots.

"She's a spirit user too. I think both of you were trying to heal me and something went wrong." I said in a quiet voice, rubbing a hand across my face. "I think I died again. Holy shit! I'm dead and this is hell, isn't it?"

"This isn't hell. We'll figure this out. I may not know you, but you intrigue me, little dhampir." Adrian grabbed my shoulders. "I believe you."

The moment his skin came into contact with mine, it sent a pulse through me like I had grabbed a live wire. I tried to pull away but felt like I was frozen to the spot. Adrian let go and I fell to my knees unable to hold my own weight as the shadows began taking over everything.

"What the hell was that?" He hissed out as he caught me." I touch you and your aura goes pitch black."

****End Chapter Three****


	4. Ice

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for now. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__As we stepped outside, I heard a funny shifting sound and then something sliding. Too late, I realized what was happening, just as a pile of slush slid off the chapel's roof and onto us. It was early October, and we'd had early snow last night that had started melting almost immediately. As a result, the stuff that fell on us was very wet and very cold.__

__Lissa took the brunt of it, but I still yelped as icy water landed on my hair and neck. A few others squealed nearby too, having caught the edge of the mini-avalanche.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Four****

****Ice****

The darkness surrounded me. Choking me. Holding me down. Pulling me under. The rage burned through my veins like a forest fire after months of no rain. The pain made me grit my teeth so hard that I thought they would shatter. There was no escape from it. It would kill me if I didn't find a way out. My chest heaved and I gasped for air as I pushed the covers aside and sat up in my bed. A headache like I'd never felt before pounded behind my eyes. I pulled in a deep shaky breath through my nose and held it in, trying to rid myself of the suffocating feeling.

My dream walk with Adrian had my mind spinning. It wasn't the first time that I had felt the darkness to that extent, but it never left a good feeling. This time was worse though. Adrian had some serious issues with his control over spirit, but I hadn't expected to feel the darkness pouring into myself when he touched me. __Have I taken the darkness from him? Why has his touch affected me so badly?__

My sneakers were the first things that came into focus and I took that as a sign. The bedside alarm clock read two o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't have to be at breakfast for five more hours. The logical part of my brain told me to get a few more hours of sleep, but I couldn't shake the slimy feeling that the darkness in the spirit dream had left me with. So I did the only non-dangerous thing I could think of. I ran. At this time of day there were only a few guardians awake and even they kept themselves indoors. But not me. Shadow Fucked Rose had to be outside getting her run on.

It wasn't like I could complain though. It would be totally bitchy to whine about my best friend bringing me back to life. That would just be ungrateful and wrong. But why did spirit have to pick on me so bad? Did I have a sign on my back that said; 'Easy target for all things dead, evil, and foggy?' Yeah, I wasn't in the best of moods. But there wasn't anybody that I could talk to. Or at least nobody that would believe me, other than Adrian, of course, but I doubted that he really believed me. He was probably still half drunk and would forget all about me by the time he woke up.

It was just my luck that when I opened the door to go outside I saw that it was raining cats and dogs outside. I'm not talking a light drizzle, but a wind whipping, lightning crashing, downpour. But I wasn't going to let a little bad weather stop me. My feet pounded against the concrete and I picked up my pace to try and erase some of the negativity that I was feeling. The ice cold rain had me soaked through and through within a matter of seconds, but still I ran. I ran until my muscles burned and then I ran harder.

Lightning crashed in the distance, lighting up the dreary landscape in bright blue. The wind wrapped around me and my wet pony tail flew into my face, blocking my vision and slowing me down. My steps faltered and I came to a crashing halt, my feet skidded out from underneath me and I landed back first into a puddle. I couldn't stop the laughter when it bubbled up in my chest. I covered my face with my hands and laughed until my sides hurt. So much for taking a run to avoid hurting myself. My freshly healed hands were scraped up, this time on the palms instead of the knuckles, and my entire backside was going to be one big bruise.

A cough in the distance pulled me out of my moment of peace and happiness. Dimitri was walking toward the gym with an umbrella in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, shaking his head at the sight of me lying in the grass in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"Hey, comrade!" I yelled over the thunder. "Aren't you too tall to be carrying an umbrella? You're like a lightning rod out here."

"Get inside, Rose." He said as he unlocked the door and held it open long enough for me to get up and walk in.

I walked a short distance to the lockers and found a stack of towels that I could use to dry off with. When I was finished, I turned around to catch Dimitri glancing at me. __Was he checking me out? Or was he contemplating sending me to the loony bin? __I wasn't sure, but that didn't stop me from going to sit down a few feet away from him. He had one of his paperback westerns in hand and didn't seem like he was in the mood to talk, so I laid back on the bleachers and closed my eyes, reveling in the peace that his presence brought.

My imagination roamed far away, creating place where it was just Dimitri and I on a deserted island. We'd stay wrapped up in each others arms day in and day out, only leaving for the odd cheeseburger or two.

"If you are going to snore you can go back to your dorm." Dimitri shook my shoulder.

"Come back to bed, comrade." I mumbled incoherently. "It's too freaking early."

"Get up now, Rose." Dimitri ordered.

I opened my eyes to find that we were not in some cozy tropical island, but in the freaking academy gym. I didn't even remember falling asleep.

"Shit!" I yelped, sitting up. "How long have I been out?"

"About three hours." Dimitri replied with a small smile. "You talk in your sleep, you know."

"I so do not!" Was my reply. But to be honest, who was I to know?

At some point during my nap, Dimitri had covered me up with a towel and even put a folded one under my head. My heart raced as I thought of the worst things I could have revealed or blurted out while asleep, but there were simply too many things to count. I folded up the towels and threw them into the laundry cart. I had to get out of there before he started asking questions that I couldn't answer.

"All right, Tall Stranger, I'm headed back to the bunkhouse for some shut eye." I used my best cowgirl voice and saluted Dimitri as I walked away.

Dimitri didn't bat an eye, but I caught the smile he was trying to suppress. "I will see you in two hours for training."

"I can't wait." I whispered as I walked out of the door, back into the pouring cold rain, and headed to my dorm.

* * *

Dinner that Thursday evening was an entertaining affair. It was the steak and potato bar night and I wouldn't miss it for anything short of the apocalypse. My plate was piled over once again and I made my way over to sit down by Lissa. I spotted her at the back of the dining hall sitting next to Natalie and the latter was talking non-stop. When I placed my tray on the table, they both looked up and smiled at me.

"Rose, I was just giving Lissa the 411 on Mia over there. You know it didn't take her three days after you two left to jump on Aaron like a lion on a gazelle. At first he was all like 'nah, I don't wanna' then after a few days of her flirting the two were suddenly inseparable. I don't know what she said or did, but it must have been epic, because he treats her like she's a freaking queen. It would almost be sweet if they weren't both such douche bags." Natalie said in one breath.

Lissa and I both looked at Natalie and then each other. Lissa broke first and burst out laughing, and almost had diet coke come out of her nose. I on the other hand, waited to swallow my drink before I let out a chuckle and shook my head at the younger girl.

"They deserve each other then." I said seriously as I looked up at Lissa. "Don't worry about that. You were too good for him anyway, Liss."

"I just hate the way everybody is staring at me like I'm some kind of circus freak." Lissa grumbled and pushed her food around with her fork.

Through the bond I could feel her anxiety and depression. It wasn't yet bad enough that she couldn't handle it, but still I wanted to help. I put my hand on hers and pulled the darkness away. It wasn't nearly as strong as what happened with Adrian, but it was still enough to make me cringe.

"Oh my god!" Mia Rinaldi exclaimed in disgust as she walked by and Lissa, Nat, and I all looked up to find out what her problem was.

She was staring at me and Lissa holding hands and I could see the hamster wheel turning in her mind. "That's why you left, isn't it? You two are like together. That's disgusting!"

Lissa's mouth opened in shock as I shot up out of my chair. Everyone in the dining hall had heard what she said and they were all whispering to each other as they saw me stalk toward Mia. Mia backed up when she saw me coming and didn't stop until I had her trapped in a corner.

"You can't do anything to me." There was uncertainty in her tone.

"Oh, but I can little girl." I growled at her so low that no one else could hear. "I know all about Andre. I know all about what your parents do for a living and your financial situation. I also know exactly what you did to get Aaron to date you. So if I were you, I'd leave Lissa and I alone. Otherwise those things just might become public knowledge."

"Is everything okay over here?" Guardian Petrov asked Mia as she freed her from the corner.

"We were just having a little chat." I smiled at Alberta.

"It's fine." Mia said, giving me an irritated glance. "I've got to get to the feeders. I'll talk to you later, Rose."

"Sure thing." I smirked at her retreating form.

Alberta looked from me to Mia and shook her head as she walked away.

I went back to my seat and put an arm around Lissa's shoulders. "Come here, lover girl."

Lissa squeaked and pulled away from me, almost falling out of her chair. "Rose! Everybody's staring again."

"Who cares!" I made a crazy kissy face that had Lissa choking on her laughter. "Let them talk and stare. We don't need to worry about what they think."

"Rose is right," Natalie said, her head bobbing up and down, "Daddy says that if people can't accept you for who you are, then they aren't worth knowing. I better go, I have an appointment at the feeders too."

Lissa and I said our goodbyes to Natalie and I waited until she was a good distance away before I turned to look at Lissa. "So what's going on with you and Ozera?"

My tone had been curious but Lissa still turned to look at me in shock with a light blush lighting up her pale cheeks. "You saw that?"

"Couldn't help it." I held up my free hand with grimace. "I was drowning in homework and the bond pulled me through before I could stop it."

"It was nothing." Lissa said agitatedly. "We just talked a for little bit."

"If you say so," I elbowed her playfully, "Just let me know if I have competition. You wouldn't want to break my poor little heart would you?"

"You're seriously not going to try and warn me away from Christian?" Lissa stared at me in confusion. "I thought you hated him before we left."

"To be honest I've never paid any attention to him. He always kept to himself." I shrugged my shoulders and took another bite of food. "I only know him through what rumors people have spread around. And we both know how truthful those are, right, love?"

"He is kind of fun to talk to." Lissa smiled at me. "Did you know that he's a fire user?"

Lissa went on talking about Christian until dinner was over. When she asked me to join her at the chapel, I reluctantly agreed. I had missed spending time with her over the past few days, but there was still a mountain of homework waiting for me back in my room. Lissa kept chatting and I didn't try to interrupt. Her feelings were trickling through the bond, and to my surprise, for the first time in days, she actually seemed truly happy and I didn't want to ruin that.

The rain had stopped earlier that afternoon and the temperature had dropped dramatically. Turning the campus grounds into a dangerously icy place. More than once Lissa and I had to catch each other so we didn't slip and fall. Lissa's warmest coat had been left behind in Portland and knowing that we didn't have a way to get her another one for a while, I pulled off my own and placed it over her shoulders. She looked like she was going to argue with me but I gave her a pointed look that said it would be useless.

When we reached the chapel doors, I waved Lissa to over where Christian was sitting. She looked reluctant to go, but I smiled at her and winked. Her steps were slow and hesitant, and I could feel her nervous anticipation and excitement leaking through to me.

I sat down in the first seat I came to and I tried to keep an eye on Lissa while focusing on the sermon, but something was off. It was then that I realized Dimitri was just a few feet away. My gaze landed on him and I tried to look away, but we'd already caught each others eye. Forcing my self to turn away, and ignoring the strong pull to get closer to him wasn't easy, but I couldn't over step my boundaries right now without looking like a sex crazed teenager. I had to be strong. I told myself. As the great Pat once said; 'Love is a battlefield.' It would be a slow burn, but hopefully things would end up with us being together at some point.

My mind drifted off as I listened to the priest recount the tale of Vladimir and Anna. The stories said that she committed suicide and I just knew that it had to have been really bad for her when Vladimir was constantly using his gift to heal people. Poor Anna had to have been overwhelmed by the darkness.

It scared me to think that if Lissa kept using spirit I would eventually go crazy and end up useless as her guardian. Or worse yet, I could end up dead. There had to be a way for me to show Lissa how to charm a bracelet or something that could keep the darkness away. Mark and Oksana had made it look so easy for a Spirit user and shadow kissed person to coexist without problem. All I needed was the right source of information. And luckily enough, I knew just who to ask for help. It would take me a while to get it though.

When the sermon was over I stood up and walked over to where Christian and Lissa were standing. Christian was leaning toward her and talking in a low voice as Lissa listened with rapt attention and wide eyes. I cleared my throat to get their attention and they both stopped talking and turned toward me. Christian looked at me with a sour expression on his face and I realized that I hadn't been very kind to him in the past.

"Hey, Rose," Lissa looked at me nervously, "you know Christian, right?"

"Only by reputation." I quirked an eyebrow at both of them. "Which doesn't say much."

Lissa looked appalled at my words and Christian looked angry so I figured I had to be the one to fix my screw up.

"Now I saw you two kids flirting in the chapel. That hurts my feelings, babe." I put my arm around Lissa's shoulders and squeezed. "It's rumored that she's my lesbian lover, so paws off buddy."

"I've heard." Christian smirked at Lissa, while I mentally cheered that I hadn't fucked anything up between the two of them.

"Rose, please." Lissa squirmed when I started playing with her hair.

"Some of the royals are like vultures. I don't know how they come up with some of the stuff they do." Christian shook his head as we began making our way to the exit. "But some of it can be pretty creative."

"I've learned not to believe anything I hear unless I've seen the evidence with my own two eyes." I kept my voice as kind as possible, hoping that I could set Lissa's new boyfriend at ease.

The air was frigid when we walked out the doors, waiting for the line of people to move so that we could pass through. Just as we were out from under the overhanging roof I heard the sound that had my mind flashing back to my dream. My arm snaked around Lissa's mid-riff and I shoved her bodily towards Dimitri. He caught her and kept her on her feet as I spun around and half pushed half tackled Christian onto the ground, covering his body with my own, and braced myself for the blow.

Huge solid sheets of ice and slush fell from the roof directly onto my back, knocking the wind right out of me. I tried my best to shield Christian, but a few pieces of ice still managed to hit him and he gasped out in pain and surprise. Slushy half melted chunks of snow landed on my bruised back and I cringed in sheer agony. When it was over, I fell over onto the grass beside him, choking for breath.

"Rose! Christian!" Lissa screamed, running forward with Dimitri beside her. "Oh my god! Are you guys okay?"

"I'm okay." Christian sat up and rubbed his calf where a piece of ice had clipped him. "I think Rose got the worst of it."

Dimitri pulled Christian to his feet and knelt down next to me. "Can you move?"

My back ached and I was shivering violently, but nothing felt broken, so I nodded my head and let him help me up. Lissa pulled my coat off her shoulders and handed it back to me. People were muttering and whispering as they watched me struggle to keep my balance. I could see Mia standing there with a smug look of satisfaction on her face. But what shocked me was that Natalie was standing in the background looking more than a little irritated. It had been her, not Mia, that had caused the ice to fall.

"I have to get back to the dorm or Kirova's going to kill me if she finds out I went to church." I said as I pulled the warm jacket on, diverting my gaze away from Natalie.

"We'll walk you back to make sure you're okay." Lissa said while Christian nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Dimitri stood back and watched me carefully, as though he thought I was going to fall over. "Training starts at seven thirty, Hathaway."

"I'll be there." I responded before he turned around and walked away.

We had just walked out of hearing range from the rest of the crowd when Christian spoke up, hands in his pockets, and eyes glue to the ground. "Thanks for that."

"Well I couldn't let flame boy be taken out by ice. That'd be a major hit to both our reputations." I pulled Lissa toward me and wrapped half of the coat around her. "Plus it's nice to have some competition."

"Rose, really," Lissa said in exasperation, "When are you going to let it go? People are really going to start thinking we're together if you keep it up."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "I'll stop. It was getting old anyway."

Lissa gave me a hug when we got to the novice dorms and to my surprise Christian even shook my hand.

"You kids stay out of trouble." I winked, leaving them standing there making googly eyes at each other, before I walked upstairs to my room.

* * *

Later that night, after several more hours of slogging through homework, I fell asleep. I don't know how long I had been out when I was pulled back into Adrian's dreamscape.

****End Chapter Four****

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Where Is My Mind

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__A routine also developed with Dimitri and me. Mason had been right about him being antisocial. Dimitri didn't hang out much with the other guardians, though it was clear they all respected him. And the more I worked with him, the more I respected him too, though I didn't really understand his training methods. They didn't seem very badass . We always started by stretching in the gym, and lately he'd been sending me outside to run, braving the increasingly cold Montana autumn.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Five****

****Where Is My Mind****

Adrian had chosen a beach-side bungalow in what looked like Hawaii for our late night rendezvous. The palm trees and crystal clear water created a scene that made me want to kick back and never leave the tranquility of the beautiful place. The sun was shining brightly overhead and a light breeze blew my hair out of my face, almost like the weather was giving me a hug. Adrian either had a very good imagination or he traveled a lot, because everything around us was completely perfect.

There was a very comfortable looking couch in front of me and the coffee table held up a line of fruity cold drinks with little umbrellas sticking up out of them. Adrian was lounging on the couch wearing a red button up shirt, that was unsurprisingly unbuttoned, and a pair of khaki pants. My eyes lingered on his well muscled abs a moment longer than necessary and I mentally slapped myself for it. But then I looked down to see how I was dressed and let out a small squeak of horror. Yeah, freaking coconut bra and grass skirt horror.

"What is__wrong__with you?" I grabbed the grass skirt and crumpled the edges in my fist to avoid hitting him.

"Don't blame me!" Adrian laughed, holding his hands up. "You dressed yourself this time. You showed up in pajamas, but that changed when you were taking in the scenery. I must admit that I liked your pajamas a bit better though. Winnie the Pooh is a classic."

My eyes narrowed and I let out a small growl as I flopped down on the couch and grabbed a mojito from the table. The strong taste of tequila burnt the back of my throat and I almost choked.

"You left me with a lot of questions last night, little dhampir." Adrian said in a quiet voice, watching the waves crash down onto the shoreline.

"I don't know if I have any answers." I leaned back on the couch and put my bare feet up on the edge of the table. "I still haven't figured out what happened."

Adrian held a hand toward me palm up. "After I touched you last night, your aura went black. It had been dark before that, but something went wrong when we made contact. I didn't want to let go, darling, and that scares me. You don't know how bad it scares me. Because I have never felt that free in my entire life. It was better than any drug or drink. It was like having a monumental weight lifted from my shoulders."

"Why __did__ you let go?" I closed my eyes and put my head back.

Adrian was silent for a moment and I was glad because it gave me an opportunity to think. There was so much that I didn't tell him last night. Another thing to figure out was just how much I __could__ tell him. I trusted Adrian completely, but I also didn't want to put him in danger. There were simply too many things to consider and I didn't know if I had the energy or sanity to do so. For one, there was no way that I could ever have more than a platonic relationship with him. I loved him far too much to break his heart again. Although there was no guarantee that he would feel like that for me.

"Because I saw what it was doing to you." Adrian finally said.

My eyes snapped open and I turned my head to look at him. "How bad did it look?"

"The light was leaving you. You collapsed and all I could see was the rage and grief pulling you under." Adrian's voice was soft and concerned. "Little dhampir, you have to tell me what happened so I never do that again."

"What I'm about to tell you has to stay between you and I." I sat up and crossed my legs so that I could face him. "I know that you have no ties to me beyond these dreams, but I can't put you or my friend in danger by this becoming public knowledge."

"You have my word." Adrian nodded.

"I already told you that my best friend is a spirit user like you, but what I failed to mention last night is that I am bound to her." Adrian's eyes narrowed in confusion.

So I told him the story of Vladimir and Anna and how she was Shadow Kissed. Then I started speaking of how Lissa and I had been best friends since childhood and how she used her gift to bring me back. My deepest fears and worries poured from my mouth as I spoke of the bond and the darkness that it brought. Adrian listened quietly through it all, only moving forward to grab himself another drink when I started speaking of ghosts and spirits.

"It's outlandish." He finally said. "But I think it's entirely plausible."

"What I can't understand," I said in frustration, tugging at the roots of my hair, "is why I had that fucking dream."

"Maybe there is something that you're supposed to stop from happening." Adrian told me as he put his empty glass down.

"But too many bad things happened!" I growled. "How the hell am I supposed to know what to change and what not to? I'm already losing my freaking mind as it is."

"Aren't we all, darling." Adrian let out a small sad laugh. "But if you never lose your mind, how will you ever find it?"

Adrian quirked an eyebrow at me, acting like he had just said something profound.

"You're bonkers." I shook my head and then giggled when he went cross eyed while staring at my coconuts. "Eyes off the goods, homie."

"I can't hold this dream for much longer, Rose." Adrian said suddenly, sitting up as though he was hearing something that I couldn't. "Can you at least tell me your full name?"

"Hathaway," I answered automatically, "It's Rose Hathaway."

I could feel the dreamscape starting to fade and I did the only thing I could do to repay Adrian for his kindness and listening ear. Before he could register my intentions, I grabbed his hand, letting the darkness drain away from him.

* * *

Once again the clock was at two in the afternoon when I woke up, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The nasty feeling was no better today. It was something I could handle though. I was used to the darkness and I had plenty of practice shielding my mind from the worst of it. I knew how to control the alien emotions. Adrian deserved to have a few good days without the darkness bothering him and somehow I was able to give him that much.

It was cold and dreary when I opened the door to the outside world. The snowflakes drifted down lazily from the deep gray clouds coating the ground below in fluffy snow. It was peaceful and beautiful but I couldn't enjoy it in the least bit. At least not yet. I needed to run and then I needed to beat the hell out of something.

My footprints blazed a trail in the fresh powder, giving evidence to the fact that I was still here. I might not have been in the best shape or frame of mind, but I was alive and kicking. When running around the track wasn't enough, I ran the perimeter of the fence, letting the wrought iron monstrosity guide me around the Academy and back to where I'd started.

By the time I reached the gym, my tattered sneakers were soaking wet and my feet felt frozen solid. My entire body shivered when I opened the door and a blast of warm air hit me. It was completely dark in the main room and my hands fumbled along the wall in search of a light switch. The first switch I flipped turned on the lights on the far side of the room and when I saw what that little corner held I took it as a sign from the spirits that I was about to get angry and rude on a leather bag.

The punching bags were in a neat row of three and I picked the farthest one back. This time I made sure to put on a pair of gloves to avoid losing any more skin, knowing that my poor hands couldn't take much more abuse. A small CD player sat on a nearby bench and turned it on. The radio started with a heavy dance beat and I turned around to show that punching bag who was boss. It was cathartic to just stand there in solitude and repeat the different punches, stances and kicks. I let the music set the pace and just went with the flow. As the darkness slowly start draining away, I began dancing as I punched. More of it filtered out while I sang along as loudly as I could. I was butchering the punching bag right along with all the top 100 hits of the eighties.

When Prince's 'Kiss' came on, I couldn't help but belt out the lyrics in a high reedy voice that was so out of tune that I inwardly cringed. I bounced back and forth and bobbed my head as I hit my target, feeling free and uninhibited. But by the end of the song I was just dancing around it like it was a stationary dance partner.

"The Strigoi will never know what hit them." Dimitri's low voice caught me off guard and I spun around so fast that it made my head spin.

"How long have you been standing there?" I whispered as my face heated up.

"Since Phil Collins." Dimitri chuckled lowly as he turned on the rest of the lights.

"But that was like four hours ago!" I realized. "You couldn't warn me so I didn't make an ass out of myself?"

"No," Dimitri replied, "It was good to see you act your age. You have not done that since you've been here."

"My apologies." I feigned looking around. "Did you expect me to act like a five year old?"

Another laugh escaped his lips. "No."

"What did you expect?" I asked curiously. "A prim proper studious little girl that ran off looking for adventure?"

"From what I gathered," He said in that irresistible deep voice, "I thought I would find a rebellious girl who liked to party and get into fights, but protected her friends above all else. I knew that you and Miss Dragomir would try to run when we found you and I expected you to scream and argue the whole way back. But you are not that girl."

My heart fell at his words. That was the girl that Dimitri would eventually grow to love. That wasn't me anymore. I could never go back to being that way. It hurt to think that we might not end up together, but if that was the sacrifice I had to make to know that he was safe, then it was a small price to pay.

"Would you like some coffee?" Dimitri asked me as he reached for his thermos.

"Sure." I took the offered cup and chugged it in one drink.

Dimitri looked at the empty cup. "It's coffee, not vodka."

"Do you have a thermos of that?" I rubbed my hands together. "I won't tell."

"No." Dimitri sighed, refilling the cup. "How did you know we were in Portland? I went through extensive planning not to tip you off."

I thought back to that night, trying to find a rational explanation. "Our housemates cat was going nuts all day. It kind of clued me in that more dhampirs were around. Little furball hated me."

"The cat." Dimitri deadpanned.

"Yup." I swallowed another scolding mouthful of coffee, hoping the lie would be burnt off my tongue.

"You surprised me." Dimitri stated after a moment.

"I was stupid." I returned in a darker tone. "I should have been in that car with Lissa, instead of running into trees."

"You and the Princess are exactly where you need to be." He tried to mollify me.

My happy mood returned ten fold. "And today, you liked my singing so much you had to stay and listen?"

"I thought someone was torturing a _cat_." He said with a serious tone and straight face.

Coffee came out of my nose. Let me tell you that a lung full of coffee is far more painful than one can imagine. Dimitri patted my back and shook his head.

"So what's the training exercise today, Comrade?" I asked when the coughing subsided. "Are we going to slap bowls of water, or maybe meditate and sing kumbaya?"

"Not today," Dimitri shook his head, "but I'll keep those in mind. Today we are going to go for twelve laps around the gym and then you are going to go back to your dorm to sleep. It is not good to keep depriving yourself of sleep. You will burn yourself out quickly."

"I can't help it." I shook my head as I followed him toward the doors. "I just haven't been tired."

Dimitri gave me a pointed look that said that he didn't believe me one bit. As we ran I asked him questions about his home and family and he answered them with the calm patience of a saint. It was good to have him talk to me like I was just any other person, not a student. But I was sure not to cross the line into flirting. No matter how hard it would be, I would wait for him to make the first move.

"So you like Louis L'amour books?" I asked him as we made our tenth lap around the track.

"Yes, I find them to be very calming." He glanced at me and grinned. "You are very observant."

Well, I was cheating a little bit. Having knowledge of the future kind of killed all the excitement of reliving this whole experience. But hey, maybe something new would surprise me eventually.

* * *

There was a handful of novices in Guardian Alto's class when I walked in a few hours after leaving the gym. There had been just enough time for me to take a good shower and do a little bit of homework before I realized that I had missed breakfast and was going to be late for class if I didn't hurry.

I took a seat in the far back and hoped that my presence would go unnoticed. But as my luck would have it, everyone wanted to talk to me. They all had questions and surrounded my desk like I was some kind of rock star. Part of me was reveling in the attention, but the larger part wanted to crawl under my desk and hide until they left.

"Hey, now," Mason said, walking in with Eddie and Meredith, "Leave Rose alone."

"Mase!" I jumped up and threw my arms around him. "I missed you."

Mason chuckled as he hugged me back. "I missed you too, Rose. It was boring without you."

"Miss Hathaway!" Stan barked as he walked through the door. "Take your seat!"

Mason gave me an apologetic look as he took a seat to my right. Alto stalked to the front of the room and wrote a page number on the whiteboard. And then he turned to stare down us novices with a dark look on his face.

"Since Hathaway has surely filled your empty heads with tales of how a true guardian is supposed to protect their charge, I think it would be fitting for all of you to turn around and thank her for the pop quiz we are about to take." He said with a smug expression as murmurs and groans filled the room. "This quiz will count on your final grade."

And so began my social decline.

Stan wasn't the only instructor to impose this new policy that entailed anyone coming near me would face pop quizzes and loud lectures. By the time lunch hour rolled around, Mason, Eddie and Lissa were the only people that would even speak to me. I was stuffing my face with a delicious roast beef sandwich when Kirova walked up to my table.

"Miss Hathaway," She said with her annoying fake smile, "let me make it clear once again that you are not allowed to take part in any social events. That includes the chapel. Don't let me find out that you've gone against me on this."

The wonderful sandwich suddenly tasted like sand in my mouth. She walked away with her head held high and her heels clicking loudly on the floor before I could even say a word in my defense. My irritation was mounting by the minute, and I didn't know how much longer I could hold out under this kind of treatment without really exploding.

"This isn't right," Lissa whispered to me, "you don't deserve to be treated this way."

"Don't worry, Liss," I gave her a smug smirk that was totally opposite of how I really felt, "I've got this shit under control. They'll be singing a different tune when I'm back to being top student."

Lissa didn't look convinced in the slightest. But I felt her irritation fade away without my assistance.

The rest of the night was spent trying to make some headway with the piles of homework. I knew all of the answers and had the essays already filed away in my memory, all I needed was time and a little bit of determination and I would have it finished by the end of the month. I couldn't wait to shove the pile of homework into my instructors faces a couple weeks early.

The bond was calling and I was pulled through into Lissa's mind. She was in her room and Natalie was talking non-stop to someone on the telephone. Lissa was annoyed because she had a test to study for in Russian History and Natalie wouldn't give her a minutes peace.

_There was a knock on the door and when Lissa opened it, she was delighted to see that it was Christian. She held up a hand to keep him from speaking as she walked out into the hall and closed the door._

"_Natalie is driving me insane." She whispered to him._

"_You want to get out of here for a bit?" Christian asked and I could feel Lissa's excitement._

"_Yeah," she answered quickly, "can we leave now? Where are we going?"_

"_I thought we could go hang out in the chapel." Christian said in a dry tone. "The service ended an hour ago and the priest has left the grounds to check out the women at the local bar."_

"_Sounds great." Lissa said as the two took off._

"_The chapel?" Christian quirked an eyebrow. "Or the priest ogling women?"_

I left the bond and had to stare at the paper for half an hour to try and regain my train of thought. I kept checking on Lissa every few minutes, but she was safe and happy, so I wasn't worried about her. It was Natalie that bothered me. Cell phones weren't exactly something that the administrators approved of. _Who was she been talking to? Was Victor planning something?_ I'd have to find a way to keep a closer eye on her.

When I finally resurfaced from my homework exile, I realized that I had missed dinner hours ago and I was starving. My stomach growled loudly, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to even come near food again until breakfast. With that thought in mind I went back to work.

To my disappointment, there was no dreamscape and no Adrian to pull me away from my problems that night. I was left alone to face my nightmares of the darkness and it's screaming faces.

****End Chapter Five****

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.**


	6. Leave My Body

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__Shock and disgust showed on almost everyone's faces as we stared at Lissa's bed. There was a fox on the pillow. Its coat was reddish-orange, tinged in white. It looked so soft and cuddly that it could have been a pet, perhaps a cat, something you'd hold in your arms and snuggle with. Aside from the fact that its throat had been slit. The inside of the throat looked pink and jellylike. Blood stained that soft coat and had run down onto the yellow bedspread, forming a dark pool that spread across the fabric. The fox's eyes stared upward, glazed, over with a sort of shocked look about them, like the fox couldn't believe this was happening.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**\- Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Six****

****Leave My Body****

The dark fog was closing in on me again, and from it's depths I could see a shape form. The woman's features became clearer and more defined by the second. It was Anna. She stood there in front of me with a small smile on her face as the fog crept closer and closer to me. I wanted to move but my feet were frozen in place as the darkness washed over me, consuming me and pulling me under. I put my hands over my ears and screamed in panic while my whole body began to shake with the intense pain and sadness that flooded my senses and threatened to drown me. And then it was gone and I woke up. Left with nothing but extreme vertigo and nausea that had me throwing my guts up all over the floor.

The water was far too hot, but I didn't have the will to turn it down. I stood under the boiling spray and tried to wash away the feeling of dark things crawling and touching me. My hands shook as I grabbed the towel off the bar and climbed back out of the shower stall.

There wouldn't be any running today. It had taken almost all of my energy to walk from the dorms to the gym, and by the time I sat down on the bleachers, my face was soaked in a sweat even though it was cold enough to snow outside. I wiped my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt and put my head in my hands to keep myself from passing out. I stared down at the floor beneath my feet and tried to distract myself from the awful feeling.

Three weeks had past since the last time I spoke to Adrian. Much to my dismay I missed him and constantly worried about him.

But life went on.

I kept up with my normal routine of running while everyone else slept comfortably in their beds. Well, everyone but Dimitri. He was a constant and comforting presence. We didn't always speak and there were times when he was strict to the point of driving me mad. But he was there. He was whole and content and I was glad to simply have him in my life, even at a distance.

Then there was Natalie. She was always around. Always watching. She always had an opinion about everything that Lissa and I spoke about. Natalie spoke nonstop about her father during the short spans of time during meals that I was able to talk to Lissa and my other friends. Where in my dream, I had saw this as kind of endearing it now grated on my nerves. She hadn't tried anything else and that only made me more nervous. Especially when I knew that she was in Lissa's room and her father had unlimited access to the campus. I didn't want to hate the small lonely girl, but I couldn't let myself lose sight of what she could possibly do.

Lissa and Christian's budding relationship was taking off like never before. It had gone from cautious flirting to publicly dating and the rumor mill was going crazy with theories. But Lissa was happier than ever before, and that made me freakin' ecstatic.

My workload was getting lighter though. With each passing day I completed more past due homework while keeping up with the inflow of new homework. It felt good to be in control of one aspect of my life and I wasn't going to let that go. I was just glad that it was Saturday and there would be two whole days free from classes.

"Rose?" Dimitri caught me off guard and I almost fell out of my seat.

"Yeah?" I tried to look up at him, but the lights behind him made my head spin even worse.

"Rose, your bleeding." He said suddenly concerned.

I could hear him walking toward me and looked down to find what he was talking about only to see that there was a small puddle of blood at my feet and blood covering my arms and thighs. I wiped a hand across my face and found that it was coming from my nose.

"Fuck!" I hissed, putting my sleeve over my nose to keep from making an even bigger mess.

I stood up and went to go get some towels when Dimitri caught me by the arm. My feet went out from underneath me and I fell backwards, landing heavily on the sparring mat.

"What did you do to yourself?" Dimitri hissed, kneeling down next to me.

"Walked here?" I grimaced and shielded my eyes from the light. "I don't know. Just fucking kill me now."

"Have you hit your head?" Dimitri asked seriously, prying my hands away from my face. "Have you taken any kind of drugs or medications?"

"I wish, to all three of those choices." I waved a hand in the air. "And no to all three, unfortunately."

"This is nothing to joke about, Rose." Dimitri leaned over stared into my eyes as though he was searching for answers hidden there.

I was covered in muck and gore, not to mention I felt like I had the shit kicked out of me, but there was one hot Russian man hovering over me. His face less than a foot away and he was cradling my head in his lap. And all I could think about was wanting his lips on mine.

But then he popped my little bubble of happiness by asking a question I didn't want to answer. "When was the last time you slept, Rose?"

My mind drifted over the weeks spent night and day either training or doing homework. There were many days that I stopped studying to run and by the time I returned I barely had time to take a shower and get ready for class. The times I had slept were filled with nightmares of Strigoi, darkness and death. It only made me regret falling asleep in the first place. But every night I still tried to take at least an hour nap to see if Adrian would want to contact me. And he hadn't.

"Don't lie to me." Dimitri must have saw my pained expression. "When was the last time you slept for a full night?"

"A few weeks." I whispered and covered my eyes back up. "I've been a bit busy trying to catch up in classes and stuff."

"That is no excuse for jeopardizing your health." Dimitri growled in irritation and it made my own temper flare up.

"You know what?" I sat up far too quickly and then stood, stumbling slightly, leaving Dimitri sitting on the mat. "I'm trying my damned best to meet everybody's demands in this fucking place. And every time I turn around its; 'You're doing this wrong, Hathaway.' 'You're a danger to the princess, Hathaway.' 'You're not allowed to breathe, Hathaway.' And that's just from the instructors. No one will dare even speak to me in fear of the consequences they'll face. I spend night and day training or in class. I've been on my best behavior and have held my tongue when being bitched at when all I want to do is tell them to shove their rules and this school straight up their ass. But I stay because of Lissa. She's worth all of this bullshit. I get that I fucked up by leaving with her, but at least out there we were __both__safe and happy."

I swayed on my feet but was able to stumble over to the locker to get some towels. It wasn't an easy task, because my nose failed to stop bleeding and the room was spinning faster and faster as each moment passed. Dimitri didn't say a word as I cleaned up the mess, but I could still feel him in the room. He was staying close and I didn't know why. I thought he would leave after my little rant of self-pity, but he had stayed. He wasn't going to leave me.

My last conscious moments were of the world tilting on it's axis and Dimitri being there like my own personal Apollo to hold me up. I felt his arms wrap around me in a tight embrace.

"You're going to be okay, Roza," he said softly, gently carrying me out of the gym, "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

I woke up to the dim lighting in the clinic. Dimitri was sitting in a chair by my bed, totally engrossed in the book he was reading while the nurse was across the room typing something on her computer.

"Not here, comrade," I groaned and rolled over onto my side so that I was facing Dimitri, "you could have taken me anywhere but here and I would have been happy."

Dimitri's eyes met mine and I swear I could see him thinking about it. Or maybe it was the drugs. Yeah, apparently I was on some nice little cocktail at the time. According to the little baggy hanging from the IV drip, I was on something I couldn't pronounce, that made me want to blurt out every bit of nonsense that came to mind and I proved that for a fact when the doc walked in.

"Who's my favorite doctor?" I smiled at her.

"Well, you certainly visit me more than anyone else." Dr. Olendzki tilted her head to the side and stared at the little screen that told her my vitals.

"So am I dying or some shit?" I sat up and put my chin on my knees as I stared at the squiggly lines.

"Far from it." The doctor laughed as she looked at me with an amused expression. "You're as healthy as can be. Just sleep deprived and dehydrated. But I think we've fixed that."

"Darn," I whispered in disappointment, "I was hoping to retire to Hawaii."

"Well, I don't know about Hawaii, but you are free to leave when you feel up to it." Her tone turned serious. "I'll be giving you some medicine to help you sleep. And you better take it or you'll end up back in here, missy."

"Okay," I crossed my fingers, paying more attention to Dimitri as he walked out of the room.

I began plucking wires away and yanked the IV from my arm before anyone could stop me. Blood trickled down my arm and I quickly staunched it with my shirt. "Oops."

The nurse rolled her eyes and huffed in irritation as she handed me a cotton ball and bandage. Because I was so coordinated at that moment, it only took me three tries to find the right spot. I was putting my shoes on when I overheard the doctor talking to Dimitri in low tones.

"It would be best to keep her from anything stressful over the weekend, but she should be ready for classes on Monday." Dr. Olendzki's words made me sad at the thought of missing training with Dimitri. "For the next few hours she's going to need supervision. Nothing major, it's just that the medication could make her a little more irrational than normal."

I let out a loud huff to let him know that I had heard her. I was__not__ irrational.

Dimitri and I walked out of the clinic and I started to turn to go back to my dorm but he stopped me. He looked at a loss of what to do and I felt confused as to why. "You can't be alone right now, Rose. And as you are not allowed any visitors, there is no other option, you're going to have to come with me."

"I'll be fine." I reassured him. "You don't have to baby sit me."

He bent down to stare directly at me. "I gave my word that I'd keep an eye on you."

That was the end of the argument.

Hell, I wasn't going to gripe about spending more time with him. "So where are we going?"

"I have paperwork to do." He said ominously, as I tried to picture him behind a little desk.

The bond let it's presence be known and the extreme amount of irritation coming from Lissa was starting to burn off my lovely drug induced high. Natalie was chattering away on her cell phone while Lissa was trying to find some notes that had gone missing from her backpack. The two of them were in the back corner of the campus library, sitting at a table that was covered edge to edge in very old texts.

_"___Yes, daddy!" Natalie whined. "Of course…. No, I put it under bed…. Yeah, she's still doing just fine... I'm sorry, I'm trying… Yeah, I love you too…. Bye, daddy!"__

_"___Is everything okay?" Lissa asked as she started digging through her bag again.__

_"___Daddy worries too much." Natalie put the phone in her handbag. "Hey, why don't we go back to the room and watch a movie! I have that new one with that hot guy you like!"__

_"___I'm supposed to meet Christian in fifteen minutes." Lissa huffed and slammed the bag onto the table in defeat. "I had his notes from history class and I promised I'd return them and now they've just disappeared."__

_"___They're probably in our room." Natalie's tone and attitude were chipper once again. "Why don't we go back and I'll help you look."__

_"___But I was sure that I put them in my bag before we left!" Lissa explained.__

_"___They have to be in the room then." Natalie grabbed Lissa's bag off the table and pulled it onto her shoulder. "Why don't you go check and I'll track down Christian and stall for time."__

_"___Thanks, Nat." Lissa said sincerely as they walked to the library doors. "If I'm not there in 20 you know where I'm at."__

_"___Okay, good luck." Natalie said with a little smirk that sent made my skin crawl.__

"Shit!" I growled out and took off running to toward the Moroi dorms. "Lissa's in danger."

Dimitri was on my heels in a matter of seconds.

"Put your hand on my shoulder and don't let me run into anything!" I told him and then slipped into the bond to check on Lissa.

It was easier than ever to get into her mind. Lissa was walking to her room, mentally retracing her steps to see if she could have left the notes somewhere else. We were about a thirty second run from there and I pulled myself from the bond and ran faster, shaking Dimitri's hand off of my shoulder.

"I never should have let her come back. It's not safe here." My irritation was building and the darkness started to get to me.

"What's happened, Rose?" Dimitri asked as we enter the dorm.

"Someone is trying to fuck with Lissa." I darted around people in the crowded hallway as I made my way to Lissa's room.

"Lissa, wait!" I yelled, catching her before she could open the door. "Don't go in there."

"Why?" Lissa asked with wide eyes. "What's happened?"

"I'm not sure yet, but something doesn't feel right." I told her. "Wait out here and I'll go in and check it out."

Dimitri looked like he was going to try and stop me, but when I grabbed the door handle and signaled for him to go first, he nodded and walked into the room.

We entered the dorm room and it was just like before. __'LEAVE NOW'__was painted on the wall above Lissa's bed in blood. I shut and locked the door behind us so that Lissa didn't see it.

Dimitri took in the blood splattered walls and the dead fox corpse on the bed with a grim expression. Without waiting for instructions, I grabbed Lissa's camera off the desk and took a few snapshots of the evidence. Dimitri watched me in silence in between checking out the rest of the room. When I caught him glancing at the door for the fourth time I had to set him at ease.

"Lissa's okay." I said quickly, grabbing a roll of paper towels and a trash bag. "I'm keeping a check on her."

Dimitri nodded and helped me clean the blood from the walls while I made quick work of folding up the blanket, fox and all, and stuffing it into the bag. My stomach turned at the sight of the innocent mangled little creature, but I forced the feeling down. Neither of us spoke. I think that we both knew that there were people outside the door with very good hearing and we didn't need to tip off the wrong person. We had to get the worst of it out of the way before Lissa could come in. I couldn't bear to see her that distressed again. Not with how much she loved animals.

We had just opened the door when Natalie rounded the corner and ran toward Lissa who was reading her history book while sitting beside the door. Dimitri took the camera from my hand when I walked by and put it into his pocket without anyone noticing.

"What's going on?" She asked in that innocent little voice. "Are you okay, Lissa? Rose?"

"We're fine." I gritted my teeth. "Some idiot tried to play a prank on Lissa."

"How did you know?" It was Lissa who asked, but I could see that both Dimitri and Natalie were wanting the same answer.

"I overheard someone talking about it." I said evasively and through the corner of my eye I could see Natalie ball up her fist in anger.

Dimitri knew for a fact that my response was a lie, but he didn't say anything to go against me.

"I will stay with the princess for the rest of the day." Dimitri said in a curt tone. "You need to get back to your dormitory, Miss Hathaway."

Jesse Zeklos and some of his friends were staring at me with smirks on their faces. "Looking good today, Rose!"

Shaking my head and waving, I walked away without a word. I was still in my blood soaked running gear and I knew that I looked like a train wreck. There wasn't time in my schedule for little flings or flirting with guys I had no interest in.

* * *

I slammed the door to my room shut. This whole probation thing was really starting to get to me. I felt trapped in the little room while Natalie was talking to her daddy and plotting more ways to get Lissa to use spirit and there was nothing I could do about it.

There was a small brown paper wrapped box sitting on my bed. Considering what had just happened in Lissa's room, I was more than a little wary to open it. I steeled my nerves and used my fingernail to cut the packing tape. I kept my face as far back as possible as I used two rulers to open the lid. Only to find that it wasn't chopped up animal parts, but a very nice but basic cell phone. It was fully charged when I touched the screen and only one contact was saved. The name said 'Call Me' and I hesitantly pressed the button to dial the number.

_"___Little Dhampir?"__Adrian's voice sounded like music to my ears.

It made me so happy that I dropped the phone on the floor and it bounced out of sight.

"Adrian?" I asked loudly. "Keep talking! I dropped the phone and have to find it!"

_"___What are you wearing, darling?" __I could hear the smile in his voice and barked out a short laugh.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I got on my hands and knees to retrieve the phone out from under my bed.

_"___Of course I would! Why else would I send a phone with a camera?"__

My hand grabbed hold of something hard, flat, and cold and I pulled it out into the light. It fell from my hand and hit the floor with a loud clang. I would recognize one anywhere. It was a charmed disk given to guardians during times of battle hundreds of years ago. They could fight for over a week without sleep as long as they kept it close by. But they had stopped using them when it became evident that using one for any longer would eventually drain and kill even the strongest dhampir. The history books were pretty gory in just how bad that kind of death was. Slow and agonizing didn't even begin to cover it. The Moroi who charmed them claimed to have destroyed them all, wanting to rid themselves of anything that put their Guardians at risk. It was a forbidden antique and had to have been extremely expensive. And I knew exactly who had left it for me.

_"___Rose, did you find it?"__Adrian sounded amused.

"Oh, I found it all right." I responded quietly.

****End Chapter Six****

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Leave a review with any thoughts or comments!**


	7. Fall For You

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__"- Some weird kind of lesbian voo—ahhh!"__

__Ralf burst into flames.__

__I jumped up and pushed Lissa out of the way—not easy to do, since we were sitting at our desks. We both ended up on the floor as screams—Ralf's in particular—filled the classroom and Ms. Meissner sprinted for the fire extinguisher. And then, just like that, the flames disappeared. Ralf was still screaming and patting himself down, but he didn't have a single singe mark on him. The only indication of what had happened was the lingering smell of smoke in the air.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Seven****

****Fall For You****

"Adrian," I picked up the phone and put it to my ear, "someone in this school is trying to kill me."

_"___It's high school, little dhampir."__Adrian laughed in disbelief.

"So they've left me a Orbis de Vigil because they're jealous of my thrift store shoes?" I ground out as I stare at the offending piece of metal.

_"___A what?" __Adrian asked in confusion.__"Forgive me, darling, I've had a few drinks already and I don't speak Spanish."__

"It's Latin, Adrian," I sighed and scrubbed my face with the palm of my free hand, "They're freaking disks of death to dhampirs."

_"___Oh, those!" __Adrian exclaimed. __"Little silver disks with runes on the edges. You found one at the academy?"__

"Under my fucking mattress!" I yelled out, kicking the damned thing into the bathroom and shutting the door.

_"___Rose," __Adrian's voice turned quiet and worried, __"I'm sorry. This is serious. How long have you been exposed to it?"__

"A few weeks." I said as I thought back on all the sleepless nights and the feeling of constantly being on edge.

_"___You have to get rid of it now, Rose!" __Adrian yelled at me, making me wince and pull the phone away from my ear.

"Ya think?!" I growled at him. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? I have no proof of who did it. And no way of disposing of the piece of shit without getting myself expelled."

_"___Go to the boiler room in the ____basement of the ____dhampir dorms." __Adrian said after a moment of silence. __"If it's anything like the one in the Moroi dorms, then no one ever steps foot down there."__

"That's a good idea." I said after trying to figure out how to get down there without getting caught. "But how do I get it there without touching it?"

_"___Uh, that's not going to be easy."__I could hear his alcohol addled mind spinning from across the continent.

"Fuck it," I shrugged and opened the bathroom door, "I'm just carrying it down there."

I wrapped the disk in a small hand towel and stuck it in the pocket of my pajama pants. I could already feel my energy levels rise and I knew I was going to have to be quick about stashing the charmed object.

_"___Don't leave me!" __Adrian cried out from where I had left the phone on the bed.

"Phones are forbidden on campus!" I yelled back at him. "I'm already on probation. If I'm caught with this thing you're going to end up with a size seven shoe up your ass, spirit boy!"

_"___Darling, there's a Bluetooth earpiece in the box, be sure to cover it with your hair so it's not confiscated by the guards." __Adrian whispered in a sly tone as though we were planning a prison escape.

"Am I freaking James Bond now?" I hissed into the earpiece.

_"___I'm far too sexy to be your M." __Adrian scoffed.

"How much__have__ you had to drink?" I asked quietly, opening the door and peering out into the empty hallway.

_"___I can't remember, but there was a lot." __Adrian responded quickly.

"Shut up!" I whispered. "I'm in the hallway now! If anyone sees me they're going to think I've gone insane and started talking to myself."

Adrian didn't say anything else. Instead, he started humming the 007 theme into my ear. The laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it and I ended up tip toeing down to the boiler room with a goofy ass smile plastered onto my face.

* * *

It was a week after I had successfully stashed the orb in the boiler room when Natalie made her next move. Despite all of my efforts to thwart her schemes, she caught me off guard. I had expected her to try something else, like another dead animal or charmed object. But nothing prepared me for what she did.

Halloween had started like every other day. Dimitri and I were sparring in the gym while '80's tunes played on the radio. I had made a vow to him that I wouldn't sing and I stuck to it. My body and mind had recovered from the orb's effects and I was back on the top of my game.

We were circling each other on the mat. Dimitri's hair had fallen free from it's tie and we were both sweating. The hair in his face caused blind spots in his vision that I was using to my advantage. I darted to the side in a feint that left my right side open to attack. When he leapt forward, I rolled on the ground and kicked him lightly in the ribs and then hopped back up on my feet and watched as he stood quickly and we resumed circling each other. Prince's 'Kiss' came on over the radio and I couldn't help but smirk at him as he narrowed his eyes at me.

I pulled my fingers up to my lips and kissed them loudly. "For you, comrade."

Dimitri went into a roundhouse kick. I ducked and barely missed his leg hitting me and jumped forward into his path. My forearm hit his chest and barely knocked him back a half an inch. He caught my outstretched arm in his hand and used a leg to knock me flat onto my back. I landed on the mat with a thud while Dimitri hovered over me, pinning one of my hands to my side. Before he could even register my movement, I brought my other hand up to his cheek and patted it lightly with the fingers I had kissed.

"You're it." I pulled my legs over to the side and wrapped them around his waist and easily slid out from under him, causing him to tilt off balance when my arm left his grip.

The momentum sent me stumbling backwards, but I was able to right myself and resume my stance with a smile on my face. There was an immense amount of pride in his eyes that I had gotten past his defenses and I let it distract me from the fact that we were still sparring. That is until Dimitri struck out at me palms first and sent me flying through the air. He was on me before I could even hit the ground. Pinning me once again, his face hovered over mine for the briefest of seconds before he moved. And the world stopped turning. The clock stopped ticking. My heart stopped beating. And there was nothing left. Because his lips were on mine and it was the most beautiful and blissful thing that I had ever experienced. I lost myself in the feeling and pulled him closer when he deepened the kiss. My hands traced the line of his face and his eyes opened to meet mine.

And then it ended. Dimitri stood up, pulling me to my feet, and then walked away shaking his head. I stood there and watched him leave, unable to move or speak. My fingers touched my lips as my mind tried to comprehend what just happened.

I walked back to my dorm in a haze. The look on his face as he stared into my eyes was etched into my memory. His kiss was burnt onto my lips. And all I wanted was more. I needed him like I needed air. My heart beat faster at the mere thought of him liking me even a fraction of the amount that I loved him. I didn't care how long it would take for him to realize that I truly cared about him. I would wait patiently.

* * *

Ms. Meissner's class was buzzing with conversation when I took my seat in the back. Lissa and Christian were towards the front of the room and they both stared straight ahead at the board, trying to ignore the things being said.

"Well I heard that he knocked her up, and Rose ended up taking her to one of those blood whore communes where she could have the kid." Camille didn't even bother keeping her voice down.

"Maybe that's where her and Rose fell in love?" Carly said wistfully. "Do you think Rose let her feed from her?"

"Well, yeah," Camille leaned back like she knew something Carly didn't, "dhampirs enjoy the bite more than humans do. Didn't you see how Rose was practically throwing herself at Jesse last week?"

"What was up with that anyway?" Carly asked her. "I heard that somebody spray painted the princess's walls and stole a bunch of her stuff."

"It was probably Ozera." Jacob butted in. "He's still jealous over her relationship with Rose."

"Rose is dating Christian behind Lissa's back?" Carly had misunderstood Jacob's statement, but that apparently sounded really good so they went with it. "Aw, it's like a love triangle!"

"I'd be more worried about him trying to get them both to turn Strigoi just like his parents did." Jacob said with a laugh.

His pants burst into flames and he immediately started screaming like a little girl and running in place. I couldn't help it, I laughed as I watched the students panic and run around like chickens with their heads cut off. "Now _this_ is worth coming to class for."

"What on earth!" Ms. Meissner darted into the room and tossed her briefcase to the side as she looked around the room for something to put the fire out.

It died out on it's own a few seconds later, leaving Jacob's pants slightly singed. He hadn't been injured at all, but he still left for the clinic when Ms. Meissner suggested it.

* * *

Four hours later I was in the gym once again. Only this time Dimitri was no where in sight. Stan was directing our training exercises. And unlike Dimitri, Stan didn't spar one on one with his students. Which was rather unfortunate considering how much I wanted to kick his ass in front of everybody. He was in a foul mood and I felt thrilled to know that I'd caused his dilemma. Earlier that day I had turned in my homework two weeks early and had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen dramatically at the huge pile of papers that I left for him to grade. My probation wasn't over - I didn't know when that would happen - but I was at least caught up to my peers in regular classes.

"Everyone outside!" Stan barked the order and we all darted for the doors.

Mason turned to me and quirked an eyebrow toward our bi-polar instructor. "Any idea what this is about?"

"No clue." I whispered to him and smiled.

"Stair runs now!" Stan shouted out us the second we were out in the cold late October air. "The first to complete fifty reps gets a ten point bonus added to their grade average for novice training."

All fifty of us sprinted toward the wooden bleachers while groups of Moroi gathered on the quad during their break. I quickly made my way to the front of the group and passed them all, feeling the eyes upon me as I bolted up and down the stairs. With each time I ran up the stairs I thought of the reasons why I needed to win this thing. And my fiftieth and final reason was because I wanted to win for myself. I had to prove to myself that I could make it. That my dream wasn't meaningless and that I could actually accomplish something of my own free will. It was exhilarating and I smiled as Mason and Eddie both whooped in congratulations when I reached that top step a full run before the other forty something students could even make their way back up. But when I stopped to turn around and make my way back down, I could feel the stands beneath me start to shake. The other novices noticed it too, because they stopped in place at the bottom of the stands.

"Run!" I yelled in warning. "Get down!"

My words were lost in the shattering of wood and the screams of novices and Moroi alike. The wooden planks crumbled beneath my feet and at forty feet in the air I didn't have much hope to reach the bottom unscathed. The last thing I saw before my vision was clouded in shattered bleachers and rubble was Natalie's smile as she watched me fall from across the field.

I could feel the splintered wood bury into my stomach as I fell through the broken bleachers. The bone in my left leg shattered on impact with the first support beam it hit. The air was knocked out of my lungs on the second. My arm fractured when I finally hit the ice covered cement. I could hear the wood creaking and shifting above me as I shielded my head as best as I could. And then the entirety of the stands collapsed on top of me. Beam after beam pounded me into the ground until there was nothing left but darkness.

The sounds of screaming pulled me back into my pain filled world. I was still pinned underneath a mass amount of timber, metal and cement. My entire body felt like it was on fire and it took all of my will power not to cry out in agony. I wanted to open my eyes, but I could feel the dirt and chunks of wood that sat on my face, and knew that it would only hurt me more. So I kept my eyes closed and tried to think about all of the things I wanted to do when I got out of there. But it was no use, with every passing conscious second I could feel the strength leaving my body.

"_Rose!" I could hear Lissa's desperate yell and slipped into the bond._

The stands had collapsed completely leaving nothing but a mountain of twisted metal and broken wood behind. The spotlights that were usually reserved for training exercises were all focused onto the center of the stands where the novices had been running. Guardians were at the edges picking through the rubble and calling out for someone.

Lissa felt nothing but fear and grief and it made my own heart hurt to know that she was so distressed. Christian put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder, not caring that there was still a huge crowd of onlookers. But even his touch did nothing to ease the fear and pain that she was feeling. Using what little bit of will power I had left, I pulled the pain into myself. But I didn't leave her. She needed me. And at that moment, it was all I could manage.

_"___Rose!" Another shout went through the air and Lissa looked over to see Guardian Petrov digging through the rubble with her bare hands and calling for me.__

__Dimitri was easy to spot considering his size. He was digging through the rubble with the rest the only difference was that he wasn't calling out for me.__

_"___It's Rose, Liss," Christian whispered to her as he held her tightly, "she'll be okay. You'll see."__

_"___Why won't they let us help?" Lissa sobbed.__

__Christian considered her question. "They have to be very careful. Look at it, Lissa. Rose could be under any part of that. If they don't watch out they could crush her."__

_Okay, I gave the guy points for trying, but damn, way to be sensitive, flame boy. Lissa mirrored my feelings by crying even harder._

_"___Rose!" Another shout rang out in the night, but this time it was Dimitri's voice.__

It sounded so broken and tired that it hurt me. I could still feel his lips on mine, and that look in his eyes, when in that small moment in time he saw me and only me and nothing else mattered. My fingertips still felt the smooth line of his jaw. The sound of his voice sang to some piece of my soul and I couldn't let go of it. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, there was a selfish part of me that knew that Dimitri was the reason I woke up every morning with the determination to do my best. He was my redemption. He was my hope.

The feeling of having a metal beam slice into my arm snapped me back into my own mind and I couldn't help the gut wrenching scream that I let out. I could have done without the mouthful of dirt and woodchips though. And just like that I was pulled back into Lissa's mind.

_Lissa had stood up at the sound of my scream. She had a hand covering her mouth as she stood there watching the sun come up over the mountain tops, shining a deep orange glow onto the rubble._

_"___She's here!" Stan yelled out, pointing toward an area near the center of where the stands used to be.__

Alberta and Dimitri both carefully moved through until they met the spot that Stan pointed at. The three of them worked together, quickly moving things out of the way. Lissa watched on with anticipation and hope filling her heart. There was a murmur of voices throughout the crowd and Lissa turned around. The students were lined up and they were chatting in low whispers, like it was a movie theater and the previews were finally over. I could feel Lissa's rage build as she tried to grasp just how heartless those students could be. My friends stood by with their silent vigil. Eddie looked at Mason with a worried expression. Mason had his arm around Meredith as the small girl had tears running down her face.

_"___They're not worth it, Liss." Christian pulled her into a hug when she went to stand up and confront the gawking Moroi students.__

_"___It's not right," Lissa was beyond irritated, "how could they see this as entertainment? Rose could be hurt or worse."__

_"___She'll be okay, Lissa!" Christian reassured her again. "I promise."__

_They both turned back toward the wreckage and watched as Alberta gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Stan took a step back and turned to the crowd._

_"___Get to your dorms now!" Guardian Alto barked out and from the look on his face he wasn't going to take shit off anybody as he pointed to a handful of guardians that were keeping the crowd away. "Escort the students to their dorms whether they like it or not."__

Lissa and Christian were forced back to the Moroi dorms. Lissa had cried and screamed at the guardians but they didn't let her return to the field. So she did the next best thing. She went with Christian to his room. The hall monitors were too busy to notice one student wasn't in the girl's dorm and even if they had noticed, they would probably think that Lissa had been allowed to see me, but she hadn't. She stood and watched from a second story window as they carefully pulled a limp lifeless body from the rubble.

There was a stretcher waiting for them and Dr. Olendzki stood at the edge of the field. The first bright light of day showed a small form covered from head to toe in blood and dirt with limbs sticking out at odd angles. Lissa fainted at the sight and I was forced back into my own mind.

****End Chapter Seven****

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this one. Let me know what you think.


	8. Howl

****When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.****

* * *

__"HEAL YOU?"__

__Heal him? My thoughts echoed hers.__

__"You're the only way," he said patiently."The only way to cure this disease. I've be watching you for years, waiting until I was certain."__

__Lissa shook her head. "I can't…no. I can't do anything like that."__

__"Your healing powers are incredible. No one has any idea just how powerful."__

__"I don't know what you're talking about."__

__"Come now, VasiLissa. I know about the raven—Natalie seen you do it. She'd been following you. And I know how you healed Rose."__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Eight****

****Howl****

The pain overwhelmed me and I groaned, being shifted into a position that made my eyes water. My eyes refused to open, no matter how hard I tried, and I just knew they were swelled shut. The panic started to set in when I found that I couldn't move. I was pinned in place. The broken bones ground together underneath my skin sending sharp slices of pain that wracked my body while I was carted out of the rubble. Hot liquid ran down my arms and poured off of my fingertips. Cold fall air assaulted my skin, giving me at least a little relief from the burning agony. I felt too much.

"She's seizing!" The nurse gasped and I could feel their hands on my shoulders and thighs, trying to hold me down while my body thrashed wildly out of my control.

Dimitri was beside me whispering in my ear to hold on, but the unbearable torment took it's hold and I lost consciousness.

* * *

Massive snow covered mountains sat in the distance, below them was a still and peaceful lake that reflected the rocky cliffs and boulders onto it's smooth surface. The moon was full, casting a blue glow onto the snow, and the twinkling stars were mirrored in the still water. It was like something out of a fairytale.

The room I was in was magnificent. There was a couch that circled around the center of the room that could have seated twenty people. The smell of chocolate wafted through the air and made my mouth water. But it was the person there that made it all the better.

"Little dhampir!" Adrian pulled me into a hug.

He pushed me back and held onto my shoulders, staring at me intently. "Are you okay? I've been trying to call you for hours."

"I don't know." I shook my head. "There was an accident at the school. Well, I guess you can't really call it an accident. The person who was trying to kill me might have succeeded."

"I need details, Rose." Adrian said seriously, pulling me toward the couch.

"Did you go to St. Vladimirs?" I asked, letting him hold me close to his side.

"Yes," He chuckled quietly, "I was there for almost a year before they kicked me out. Or as the record states, my parents pulled me out to be tutored at home."

"Do you remember the bleachers out by the track?" I turned to look at him.

"Yes," He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"The whole fucking thing collapsed on top of me thanks to a chipper little earth user who didn't have the balls to face me head on." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Now I'm probably halfway to my grave."

"Come on now." Adrian turned so that he faced me. "It can't be that bad."

"Let's just say that I have more broken bones than not and the last thing the nurse said before I blacked the fuck out was 'She's seizing!' in her high pitched annoying voice. So yeah, I'm pretty sure that my body is up shit's creek without a paddle at the moment."

"Rose, I have to go." Adrian pulled himself away from me. "This couldn't have happened at a worse time."

"I'm sorry," I said in astonishment, "Should I reschedule my death? How about Tuesday? I haven't died on a Tuesday yet."

"I'm serious, Rose!" Adrian pulled me in for another hug. "I'm with Aunty and probably about to miss my flight."

"You're seriously leaving me?" My disbelief was maxed out. "Right now?"

More than anything, I didn't want to go back to that pain and torture. There was no way I would ever leave Adrian if he needed me, so it hurt when he couldn't even take a few hours out of his schedule to stay with me.

"I'm sorry, Rose." Adrian sighed. "Call me as soon as you can. I'll try to visit you too. Take care of yourself."

"No, wait!" I yelled out, but the scenery was starting to fade and the darkness was taking over.

* * *

The pain was waiting for me when I returned to consciousness. Only now my mind felt sluggish and even though I knew I was hurt, I didn't care. They must have had me on more of the really good drugs. Because when I was finally able to open my left eye, the world exploded in a spectrum of colors. Like a rainbow had thrown up in the clinic.

Stan, Dimitri, Alberta, and Dr. Olendzki all stood around my bed. "Are you ready?"

_Ready? Ready for what?_ I opened my mouth to say no, but then I felt pressure on my leg and heard the sound of the bones shifting within the muscle. It was a nauseating squelching sound and I fought the urge to either scream or puke. Something had to give. So I screamed out every foul word I could think of, most of them were in Russian.

"My word!" Alberta hissed. "She's awake."

"Yes," I said through gritted teeth, "Yes she is. And that fucking hurt!"

"Rose," Dr. Olendzki said kindly, ignoring my cursing, "we're going to have to straighten the rest of the bones. There is a possibility that you might need surgery. Since we can't get a hold of your mother. Is there anyone you can think of for us to call? Is there anyone you want with you?"

"I don't have any family other than Lissa and my mom." I growled out through gritted teeth. "But I don't want either of them to see me like this."

I groped around until I could find Dimitri's hand. "Don't let Lissa come anywhere near me. Please, I'm begging you."

"I promise, Rose," Dimitri nodded his head.

It made me feel a whole lot better to know that he would keep Lissa away. The last thing either of us needed right now was for her gift to be discovered, especially by Victor and Natalie. My mind went through the different ways that they could try to get to Lissa now that I was out of the picture, and none of them were good.

"Protect her, comrade." I whispered to him. "She's not safe here."

Then they popped my elbow back into socket and I screamed. It went on and on like this for close to three hours. My bones were straightened, splinters removed, cuts and gashes were stitched. Lots and lots of gauze was used. I feared that by the time they were finished I would look like a mummy. I was right. I looked like a freaking cartoon character after it had fallen off a cliff. My arms were suspended in the air by a pulley system. Both of my arms and legs were in casts. My torso was so heavily bandaged that I didn't even have a gown on. Although it was form fitting and showed off my assets, I wasn't very happy with how my body looked at that moment.

The surgery had gone off without a hitch. My right arm and hand had been the worst off and the bones had to be placed just right so that when my super healing kicked in, I wouldn't have bones sticking out in places they shouldn't. I almost laughed at the thought. Dr. Olendzki and the surgeon both assured me that I would be perfectly fine in a week or two, but it did nothing to ease my nerves.

Dimitri had stayed with me throughout the entire thing, holding my hand and whispering to me that it was going to be okay. I hated feeling so weak and needy, but I loved just being able to hold his hand without having to worry about what anyone else said.

"How are you feeling?" Dimitri asked as soon as the others were gone.

"Like ass." I sniffed the air in disgust. "I smell like it too."

"You will be up and about in no time." Dimitri smiled at me.

"Thank you for staying with me." I told him while I was being bandaged up.

"You wouldn't find me anywhere else, Roza," His hand held mine in a gentle grip.

True to his word, Dimitri stayed with me for the rest of the night. He told me stories about his home in Baia and about his family and it made me miss the sweet people that I had met in my dream. Even his crazy ass grandmother.

* * *

A week and a half went by before I was able to leave the clinic on my own two feet. Although it was a relief not to be in there anymore. It also brought a lot of questions and difficulty for me. My instructors didn't bother with adding more homework. So I was good on that front. It was Lissa that bothered me. She hadn't even attempted to visit me one time while I was trapped in that tiny cold room. She'd been blocking me out the entire time and due to the brain addling drugs I was under, I didn't have any other way to check on her other than asking Dimitri to check on her for me.

It was actually Christian who visited at least once a day, and all he could tell me was that Lissa wasn't herself and that she'd been spending more and more time with the other royals. The day I was released from the clinic, it was Christian that offered to escort me to my room.

"I just don't get her!" Christian said in aggravation as he walked me back to my dorm. "All of the sudden she has to go around acting like queen bee and doesn't have the time to even say 'hi'."

"Who has she been hanging out with?" I asked, cringing because I already knew the answer.

"Mainly the royal chicks and Natalie." Christian growled. "Fucking Natalie never leaves her side for a second."

"Has Natalie been acting odd too?" I hoped that he wouldn't confirm my fears.

"Yeah, ever since she brought that injured dog back with her." Christian sighed. "She claimed that she was heartbroken that it was hit by a car and she had to beg her 'daddy' to bring it back with her. Bad part is the dog is perfectly fine. It's a menace, but there is nothing physically wrong with it."

"Shit!" I growled out. "Thanks for walking me back, Christian. I'll see what I can do about Lissa. Please don't take it personally. She has a lot of shit going down right now. I'm not trying to make excuses for her. Just give her some space. It won't be long before she snaps out of it."

My room was a wreck when I walked in. It looked like a hurricane had come through. There were two cardboard shipping boxes on my bed and a single postcard.

I picked up the postcard and flipped it over. **_'I'm glad you're better. -mom.' _**I laughed out loud as I placed the letter on my desk. Then I opened the largest box. It held a beautiful pair of black combat boots that would fit me perfectly. The note read; **_'A size seven to use on me if I ever do something that stupid again. - A' ._**

The smaller box held a simple pair of diamond earrings and a note that read_; _**_'Get well soon.'_**

The boots fit like they were custom made for my feet and I wore them around my room trying to get used to their weight. After tidying up and putting the earrings in the top drawer of my desk, I tried to get to Lissa through the bond. Only this time it worked.

Lissa sat in the middle of a huge van with Christian sitting beside her. He had an unnaturally happy smile on his face a sure sign that compulsion had been used. Dimitri sat in the far backseat by himself and had his face turned toward the window. Natalie sat on Christian's other side and she was leaning forward and talking to Victor who sat in the front seat next to the driver.

My heart lurched at the thought of three people I cared about being in a vehicle with those two maniacs. I had every right to be scared. Lissa was lost in thought and hadn't expected it when the van turned off onto a gravel driveway and she winced when her head hit the window on the bumpy road.

__"I thought we were going to the mall?" Lissa asked quietly, looking around to see nothing but trees in every direction.__

__"I just have a short stop to make, dear." Victor turned around and smiled at her.__

_Lissa's nerves calmed and she sat back in her seat. They had been driving for a while and she hadn't heard Dimitri speak in almost an hour._

It was when she turned around that my heart dropped. Dimitri was slumped over in his seat, two tranquilizer darts stuck in the side of his throat while his neck was cocked at an odd angle. Lissa screamed and turned to the other side to see that Christian fared no better. He had collapsed and was falling out of the seat.

__"Don't worry, Vasi____l____isa. " Victor smiled at her. "You and I just need to have a little chat and I assure you that they will both be just fine."__

I forced myself back through the bond and into my own mind. Angry didn't begin to describe the way I was feeling. My newly healed legs carried me to Alberta's office slower than I liked, but there was no way to avoid it. I burst through the door gasping for breath and holding my side.

Alberta jumped to her feet. "What in the world is going on, child?"

"Lissa and Christian have been kidnapped." I wheezed, ignoring her insult. "Guardian Belikov is with them. Dimitri and Christian have been injected with tranquilizers."

"Did you see this through your bond?" Alberta asked quickly.

No, I was there and ran back just to tell her. "Yes!"

"It's going to take some time to get a rescue group together." Alberta said, walking around her desk. "I have to make some calls to see if we can find them."

"They're on route eighty three. There is a gravel road on the right just past mile marker twelve. Follow the road to the end. They're in a small cabin there." I stated from memory.

Alberta looked at me in shock and confusion while quickly writing down my directions. She yelled after me when I darted out of her office, but I had taken off running and there was no one on earth that would stop me.

I found a Jeep in the campus garage that had the keys in the ignition and a tank full of gas. It started up and I tore out of the driveway like a bat leaving it's cave at sundown. The wind whipped my hair straight back as I had unfortunately chosen a good off road vehicle that had no top. But it was fast and it was quiet, so that was all that mattered. I'd worry about my hair later.

The gates were closed and I didn't have time to stop, so I honked the horn repeatedly. At the distance I was at, the guard was the size of a gummy bear as he stood there and shook his head with his arms crossed. I didn't slow down. I just pressed on the horn until the stupid fucker moved. I really wished that he would have opened the gate before he jumped into the ditch, but he didn't. So I had to drive through it. Let me just say that it's not very smart to drive into an iron gate in a vehicle that has no roof. That shit hurts. Bad. And the little iron spokes at the top aren't as soft as one would think.

When I recovered from the shock of what I had just done, I took off down the road as fast as the little jeep would let me. It wasn't often that I had the opportunity to drive, but I loved it. I just didn't love having to drive when I was trying to stay out of Lissa's mind. In her current situation she didn't make it easy for me to ignore the bond. So I did the only thing I could do, I pulled all of the fear and anger that she was feeling into myself. I knew for a fact that Victor wouldn't hurt Lissa, but Dimitri and Christian were expendable and I wasn't willing to see any of them get hurt.

Route eighty three passed by in a blur brought on by my dangerously fast driving and I had to slam on the brakes in an effort not to pass the turn off to Victor's cabin. The road was rough and the Jeep's suspension had me bouncing around in my seat, but I couldn't slow down. I drove for another twenty minutes before the Jeep came to a screeching halt. The seat-belt cut into my rib cage and I winced at the feeling. The cabin was less than a half mile away. I would have to walk not to tip off Victor's guardians who, like me, had very sensitive hearing.

The sun would be rising soon and I held out hope that I'd be there by then, needing the cover of darkness. I slipped into the bond after I had parked the Jeep on the side of the road, making sure it was well hidden in the thick underbrush.

Lissa was sitting in a chair in the middle of the living room. Tears poured down her cheeks while she watched one of Victor's men back hand Christian across the face. Blood spurted out of his mouth and his head flopped to the side. He was covered in gashes and burns. Victor's men hadn't held back in torturing him.

The sound of dogs howling and barking in the distance made me run as fast and quietly as I could. The psi-hounds were on my trail.

****End Chapter Eight****

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Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.


	9. Heavy In Your Arms

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

__The hound backed up, still compelled to follow Victor's orders, though also clearly afraid of the fire. Its companion, the fourth hound, circled away from the torch and came up behind Christian. Smart little bastard. It sprang at Christian, hitting him back first. The branch flew from his hands, the fire immediately going out. Both hounds then leapt onto his fallen form. I finished my hound—again feeling sick over what I had to do to subdue it—and moved toward the other two, wondering if I had the strength to take on these last ones.__

__Vampire Academy__

__**-Richelle Mead**__

****Bonds Of Time****

****Chapter Nine****

****Heavy In Your Arms****

__"Stop!" Lissa cried out in desperation. "Please, just stop!"__

__"I've told you, dear." Victor walked toward her. "If you heal me, I will let you heal him. But not a moment sooner."__

__Lissa lifted her head and stared Victor straight in the eyes. "You're going to let all of us go right now!"__

__Victor laughed and then ended up coughing loudly. Natalie darted forward and helped him sit into a nearby chair. "Are you okay, daddy?"__

__"I'm fine, sweetie." Victor patted her head and looked up at her. "Why don't you go find something useful to do while I talk to Vasi____l____isa."__

__Natalie kissed her father's cheek with a dazed look on her face. "Okay, daddy."__

__"Dear," Victor turned to Lissa with an irritated expression, "you think that you can compel me? My own brother was a spirit user like you. I know the signs and I also know how to protect myself from it."__

__Victor held up a medallion that hung on a chain around his neck. "All of my men wear them too, so don't get any ideas."__

__Victor gestured for his guardian to step forward. "Show the princess what happens to useless people."__

The guardian pulled a fire poker away from the fireplace. Lissa shut her eyes and prepared herself for the pain as the guardian pulled the piece of iron back like it was a golf club. There was a sickening crunch as the metal hit flesh and tore through tendon and bone alike.

Lissa opened her eyes when the pain never came. She looked up to see that it wasn't her that the guardian had hit, but Christian. Lissa screamed in rage and moved to help him, but the guardian grabbed her around the middle and tossed her onto the couch.

__"Are you ready to help me now?" Victor asked her as she sat up.__

__My heart broke as Lissa broke down crying and held her hand out to Victor. "Just please don't hurt him anymore."__

I pulled out of the bond and took off down the road as fast as my feet would take me, mentally forgiving Adrian for abandoning me when I felt just how comfortable and practical the boots were on my feet. By the time I got close enough to see the lights coming from the small cabin the situation had changed drastically.

The bond pulled me in and I could feel Lissa's anger and fear. Victor looked thirty years younger and I knew that I had taken too long to get there. A loud commotion and argument was held between two of Victor's men. A guardian had been found dead on the back porch and they were debating the merits of either leaving or staying. When the other five followed Victor to check out the body, Lissa jumped out of her chair and placed one hand on Christian's knee and the other on the side of his face. She was weak, tired and hungry, but still she used what little strength she had left to heal him.

_Christian woke with a start and looked around the room in confusion. ___"What the hell?" He exclaimed, examining his tattered and blood stained clothes, but not finding a single wound.__

__"We've been kidnapped." Lissa whispered tiredly. "We need to leave now while the guards are gone."__

Christian opened the window on the far side of the room tossing the curtains to the floor to get them out of the way. Lissa was right behind him as they quickly stepped out. It was barely a three foot drop and neither of them had any problems with it. As soon as Lissa's feet touched the ground, Christian grabbed her hand and the two of them took off running into the surrounding forest, leaving the sounds of fighting in the cabin behind them.

Back in my own mind, I had a terrible choice to make. I could either follow Christian and Lissa into the forest to protect them from the psi-hounds Victor had roaming around the grounds or I could go help Dimitri fight Victor's guardians and possibly leave Christian to a very painful death. I knew that the dog-like creatures wouldn't hurt Lissa. Victor needed her and he wouldn't let an oversight like that happen.

Events were playing out exactly as they had in my dream and it pissed me off to think that I hadn't changed anything. But I wouldn't go down without a fight. I ran as the sun started to cast an orange glow over the treetops and hoped that I wouldn't be too late.

It was the screams that gave their position away. Loud, gut wrenching pain filled screams that made my heart rate spike with a rush of adrenaline. Spinning around, I searched for the source of the noise, but found nothing but trees within sight. I ran into the middle of the clearing as brilliantly blinding sunlight assaulted my eyes. Sounds of growling caught my attention and I turned to see Lissa trapped against the trunk of a large oak tree with two psi-hounds circling her like sharks.

"Rose, what are you doing here!?" Christian Ozera ran toward me from the other edge of the clearing, appalled as his girlfriend cringed in fear at the enormous beast.

I pointed at a small and sturdy oak tree and hoped that my plan would work better this time. "Climb up to the tallest branch you can manage. Use fire to distract them. I'll get Lissa."

"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly. "We can both try to rush them and scare them off."

"Oh, __sure__," I scoffed, "Psi-hounds aren't scared of much. Especially a few unarmed teenagers. Just get your ass in the tree."

Turning back around, I was now faced with a larger problem. Two of the hounds had heard me and were crouched low to the ground, stalking toward me with teeth bared. Without taking my eyes off of them, I reached down and slowly picked up a large branch. At least now flame boy was out of the danger zone.

"Flames, Sparky!" I yelled at him. "Or are you waiting for the e-vite?"

"Oh!" He exclaimed, shooting a baseball sized fireball at the hound nearest to me. It yelped and jerked back, but was only stunned for a second before it came back madder than ever. It's pack mate was not so inclined for caution. It sprung from the ground like a cat and leapt at me, claws and fangs bared. I rolled to the right, just in time too. Christian sent a much larger and less controlled burst of fire right where I was previously standing. It hit it's mark with astounding accuracy. The hound howled in rage and fear as it was engulfed in flames and I had to look away as it took off running in pain.

"That almost hit me, Flamer!" I said, mainly to keep him talking, I needed to keep track of him. "I lose an eyebrow and you'll lose something that will mean no little Ozeras running around…. ever!"

He let out a strangled laugh from high up in the tree and sent smaller shots of fire at the hounds. We couldn't keep this up for long. Using magic at this rate would drain his energy before we could escape this mess. Lissa already looked like she was going to fall over. So soon after healing Victor, healing Christian had drained her and there was nothing left but a hollow emptiness in her soul.

Like a low fog, the darkness was creeping in more and more and no matter how much I pulled it away from her it kept growing like a thundercloud. The fog circled around Lissa and started flowing outward. I kept my link to the bond open and kept pulling the darkness to myself.

The other hound took my momentary distraction as an opportunity to attack. It's long canines buried into my thigh, ripping and tearing tendons and flesh. I think I may have screamed, but I couldn't be sure. Rage overpowered my senses, and knowing it wasn't my own, I chanced a look at Lissa who was furiously swinging a branch at the two hounds in front of her and screaming for me. I clocked the hound attached to my leg over the head with the branch I was holding. It was futile as the beast didn't let go. In a moment of fury, I did something both incredibly painful and stupid. I reached into the hounds mouth and pried it's jaws apart, not caring that it's sharp teeth were burying into the soft flesh of my fingers. My strength surprised even myself when I heard the audible popping sound of the Psi-hounds jawbone snapping under the pressure. I flung the now injured creature away from myself, grabbing the branch and jumping to my feet without delay.

The branch in my hand pounded into the muscled back of the third hound of it's own volition. I felt as though I was unable to control my own actions and was helplessly just sitting back and watching myself pound this animal into a pulp. I have no idea how long this went on, only that I didn't stop until I felt Lissa's hand on my shoulder.

The whir of helicopter blades and the soft popping sound of a silenced gun being fired sounded around me, but still I didn't stop. I was on the fourth hound like a possessed person. The sharp end of the stick stabbed into the meaty hide and the creature yowled in pain. And I kept going.

"It's dead, Rose." She said, squeezing my shoulder. "Like, really dead."

My pale, albeit slightly sunburned and green tinted, best friend swayed on her feet. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her hard, holding her up. Other than looking physically and emotionally exhausted, she was unharmed and safe. I almost couldn't contain a hysterical laugh that I felt bubbling up. That moment only lasted for a brief second, because as soon as I heard the snapping of a branch behind me, I spun around into a defensive crouch in front of Lissa, ready to protect her once again.

"Whoa, girl!" Christian had his hands up in a sign of surrender as he slowly walked toward us, "Can I hug my girlfriend or are you going to try and bite me?"

"You wish, Sparky," was my witty response as I stood up and moved out of his way, "just get yourselves out of the sun before you both end up crispy. And don't let her collapse." I ordered him. "I need to find Dimitri."

I left the two lovebirds to their tearful reunion, knowing that the good Guardians and Alberta were there to watch out for them. They didn't even notice me limping away when they jumped out of the helicopter and focused their attention on the two Moroi.

A lone silver stake lay on the path and I quickly picked it up in case I needed it. Hell, I figured I could at least keep it until I received my promise mark and was given a stake of my own. Sounds of wood shattering could be heard when the cabin came into view. I picked up my pace into a faster stumble, ignoring the sharp pains in my thigh. I hadn't bothered to look at my leg yet. If it looked as bad as it felt, then I already had a good idea that it wasn't very pretty. I burst through the doorway in time to see Natalie standing there in the middle of the living room, white as a sheet and red eyed. She was hiding in the shadows, one of Victor's Guardians dead and drained at her feet.

Victor and Dimitri stood straight ahead of me. They were trapped on the windowless side of the room, a mountain of broken furniture surrounding them, with no way to escape and a Strigoi blocking the exit. Victor had a sad but satisfied look on his face when he looked at his daughter and it made me sick that he had manipulated her into turning into a monster for him.

The entire front room of the cabin was in shambles. Besides the door behind me, there were only two windows in the cabin, separating Natalie from her father in the bright light of day. Obviously Natalie had resorted to throwing things at Dimitri since she couldn't cross the room herself.__Amateur.__

Dimitri barely glanced, standing defensively in front of Victor. "Rose, go out and come back in through that window. You need to take Mr. Dashkov outside."

"NO!" Natalie screamed at me, fangs bared and chest heaving. "Leave him!"

Her eyes kept going from the blood pouring out of my leg, to the rays of sunshine that poured from the window that separated us, giving me another very stupid idea. Yeah, it seems like spirit dream time-travel addled the brains a bit more than one would like.

Rubbing my fingers across the gaping wound, I brought them up to my lip, staring straight at Natalie as I licked the thick red blood from my index finger. Victor chuckled and Dimitri growled out a curse in response. But it wasn't their reaction that I was waiting for. It didn't take very long.

Whether an awkward Moroi, or a newly awakened Strigoi, Natalie wasn't all that bright. She darted forward into the sunlight, which stunned her long enough for me rush forward, giving me the opportunity to tackle her to the ground. Doing my best to avoid her sharp fangs, I positioned the stake between us. Victor and Dimitri fought each other, creating a distraction that Natalie couldn't ignore, but I paid them no mind. The ground shook beneath us as Victor, another earth user, yelled in rage. But I stayed focused on the task at hand.

Staking a thrashing Strigoi was even harder than before. The tip sliced through her cotton sweater and skin as though they weren't there. But when it hit the strong bone of the chest plate, it was a whole other story. Her nails raked across my face as she fought to get back up. Her skin was sizzling and bubbling in the sunlight, her screams echoing off the walls. Seeing the sheer amount of fear and pain wash over my former friend's face as the silver stake buried into her chest was even worse. My arms shook as I watched her open and close her mouth, but nothing came out but growling and gurgling noises and I forced myself to make it quick. With one last burst of strength I pushed down.

Natalie lay still on the woven rug, blood pooling around us both.

My guilt overwhelmed me. I didn't want to kill her. It had to be done, but it still hurt to have to be the one to do it.

"I'm so sorry, Nat," I apologized, reaching out a shaking hand to close her eyes.

"You will pay for this, Rose Hathaway!" Victor screamed at me, trying and failing to break from Dimitri's iron grip, "I'll see you burn for what you've done! You are a danger to those around you! Being Shadow Kissed is to your own demise and I hope you die from the insanity! You should have stayed dead the first time around and saved Vasilisa the trouble. How do you think people will react when they know that the Princess is a Spirit user and slowly losing her mind? Will they rally for her to become Queen?"

He didn't make it any further in his tirade because Dimitri's fist hit his temple with a loud smack and Victor flopped boneless to the floor. The cabin still shook and I looked down to make sure he had really knocked him out. That's when I realized that it wasn't the floor trembling. It was me.

Dimitri stepped over Victor and pulled me into his arms, brushing the hair out of my face. Until that moment I didn't realize how weak I had become, because a soon as I was in his embrace, my legs gave out beneath me. He held me steady as though I weighed nothing. Tremors racked my body and I cold feel a cold sweat start burning me from the top of my head and working it's way down.

"You're going into shock, Roza." Dimitri said quietly. "We need to get you help. Don't close your eyes. Keep looking at me."

"Are you okay?" I asked him, staring up into his deep brown eyes.

"I'm just fine." Dimitri replied in a soft tone, hugging me to his chest.

But the darkness had found me once again. It washed over me, dragging me to the ground. I could hear the shrieks and pitiful pleas for help, begging me to free them from their pain and sadness. Their ghostly hands tugged at my arms and legs and I was helpless to fight them.

"Roza!" Dimitri shouted at me over the sound of the helicopter. "Stay awake!"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. Someone had strapped me to a stretcher in the back of the chopper. Lissa and Christian sat a few feet away, holding hands and wearing those ridiculous over-sized headsets. Dimitri was standing at the foot of the gurney, head ducked down as his tall ass was too big for the short ceiling.

"You're too tall for this!" I yelled at Dimitri.

His lips twitched as though he was going to smile, but he held back, and turned to say something to the pilot.

I tried to sit up and found that whoever had placed the straps on my chest really wasn't messing around. I was stuck. Despite my doggy chewed fingers, I still made good time in releasing myself enough to sit up. The thick wool blanket that was covering my scantily clad body was suffocating me and I couldn't take it anymore. Lissa and Christian were both shaking their heads at me, trying to tell me that I had to stay lying down, but I feigned deafness and ignored them. If my luck played out like it usually did and the chopper crashed, I was _not_ going to be trapped on a freaking gurney.

"Rose!" Dimitri barked at me when he saw that I was sitting up and poking at the bandages on my leg. "Lay down right now!"

I sent him a glare of defiance that most of the boys at St. Vlads were terrified of, but Dimitri seemed unfazed. So I settled for sticking my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at me and sat down on the floor beside me, putting pressure on my leg to staunch the bleeding. I winced in pain and turned to look out the window to distract myself from looking at it.

The moment the blades stopped spinning, the helicopter was invaded by guardians trying to assist us. Lissa and Christian had unbuckled and were waiting for me to be carried out. Dimitri had released the fastenings on the gurney so that I could be hauled out with my legs still strapped down.

"I can freaking walk." I pushed his hands away and fumbled with the buckles. "I'm not crippled."

"Stop being stubborn, Rose." Lissa said, going to put her hand on my shoulder. "Just let them help."

I moved out of her reach and shook my head in warning. I would be just fine without her using spirit to heal me. That didn't mean that her feelings weren't hurt by my actions, I could see the tears pooling in her eyes as she let her hand drop back to her side. Dimitri gave me an odd look when he pushed my shoulders back down.

Kirova was waiting for us in the clinic when I was carted in on the stretcher bitching loudly about how I wasn't being allowed to walk. She gave Dimitri a questioning look when she saw him snap at me for the hundredth time.

"If you're feeling well enough to carry on in such a way, Miss Hathaway," she intoned, "then the four of you should have no problem recounting what happened to make you pull such an idiotic stunt. Once again you have damaged school property and endangered lives."

Dimitri held up a hand. "Headmistress, Rose has been severely injured. Can we wait until she is with the doctor?"

"She seems fine to me." Kirova shook her head. "Other then her hands, of course. Why is she on a stretcher?"

I sat up and pulled the blanket and bandages back, revealing the mangled flesh that was still gushing blood.

Kirova's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw just how bad it was. Up until then I had tried not to think about it, but looking down at the horrible mess that used to be my leg, almost turned my stomach. It looked as though it had been through the blender. Long thick slashes crisscrossed from the top of my thigh to just above my ankle. I could clearly see the bones in my thigh and the entire top of my shin bone was exposed. My fingers were still bleeding from where the hound's teeth had buried into them. My arms were scratched and scraped, but otherwise okay.

"Well that might leave a scar." I said while my forehead broke out in a cold sweat and I keeled over again.

****End Chapter Nine****

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	10. Spectrum

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_Victor had been found and recaptured while trying to escape campus. I was glad, even though it meant Natalie's sacrifice had been for nothing. Rumors said that Victor hadn't seemed afraid at all when the royal guards came and carried him away. He'd simply smiled the whole time, like he had some secret they didn't know about. In as much as it could, life returned to normal after that._

_Vampire Academy_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Ten**

**Spectrum **

When I came to seconds later. Lissa had jumped forward and had her hand outstretched and was about to put it on my hand, but I yelped and backed up so far that I fell off of the stretcher.

"You can't use it anymore, Liss," I pleaded with her as the nurse hauled my ass back onto the bed, "Not until we figure out how to stop the side effects."

"I know." She sighed in defeat. "I just hate it that you've been hurt so bad, Rose. I want to be able to help you. You saved my life."

"Vicci didn't order the hounds to kill you, Liss." I said with a small laugh. "He just wanted them to stop you. And don't worry about me. I'll be just fine."

"But look at you!" She exclaimed hotly. "You look like an old chew toy!"

"You look like a Backwoods Barbie that's been ran over!" I retorted as I glanced at her from head to toe and saw nothing but dirt caked clothes and twigs stuck in her blond hair. "Honestly, you can come back and bitch at me after you've been fed and hosed down. Christian help me out here."

Christian held up his hands as he looked from me and Lissa. "I'm not even going to touch this one."

"I'm fine, Lissa." I told her seriously. "A few stitches and I'm out of here."

"Promise?" Lissa said as tears pooled in her eyes.

"Aw, come here." We were both filthy, so I didn't feel bad about giving her a big hug.

"I love you, Rose." She whispered to me. "Thank you for saving us."

"Love you too." I whispered back as she pulled back and wiped her eyes.

* * *

They put me on a morphine drip that gave me little drops of liquid sunshine while they stitched up my hands and leg like a patchwork quilt. My eyes felt gritty and dry and my tongue felt like I had been sucking on the old mattress that sat outside mine and Lisa's apartment in Portland. Despite being heavily drugged, I stayed awake during the whole process. Maybe I was too wired up or in too much pain, whatever the cause, my state of mind was going downhill fast. Because I was starting to hallucinate.

I had to be hallucinating. There was no way in the world that Janine Hathaway would leave her charge to visit me. It just wouldn't happen. I stared at the figure in the doorway. I squinted my eyes and tried to get my vision to clear.

"Is there a person standing there or am I going nutzo?" I asked the doctor as he finished stitching up my foot.

"Miss Hathaway!" Dr. Olendzki exclaimed. "What a wonderful surprise!"

"Doctor," Janine nodded as she walked into the exam room, "how is she?"

"She'll be right as rain by morning." The doctor smiled at my mother.

"Mom?" I scratched my head with a bandaged hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a message two days ago that said that you had been in an accident and that I needed to come here." She said as she searched me for signs of grievous injury. "What happened?"

"That's all they told you?" I was really hoping that they had given her more information than that. "Well this is going to take a while."

Janine's eyes narrowed as she pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. "Explain. Now."

My mother had left after my lengthy explanation, saying that she had to speak to Guardian Petrov and that she would see me at breakfast. I wasn't prepared when she pulled me into a hug and told me that she was glad that I was okay. I hugged her back and patted her back as she informed me that I wasn't allowed to take part in anymore dangerous stunts. I crossed my bandaged fingers as I nodded my head.

* * *

An hour later I was ready to leave the clinic, with instructions to come back in the morning to have the stitches checked. Freezing cold air and snowflakes hit me the second I opened the door. I stumbled out onto the concrete sidewalk and had to use a wooden bench to catch myself from falling face first into the snow. My leg ached badly and the stitches pulled with every move I made. The entire campus was asleep, safe and warm in their beds, and I was left in the cold all alone. It took almost an hour of limping through the snow covered grounds for me to reach the chapel. Flip flops had not been the best choice of footwear but they were all the nurse could find in the lost and found, after my beautiful boots had been destroyed. My toes had turned blue halfway there and knew that if I didn't make to the chapel soon, I would end up with frost bite.

Thankfully, the chapel door was unlocked and it only took a few minutes of pawing at the handle with my bandaged hands to get it open. The heat felt glorious on my feet and the candles, being the only light on, were lining the front of the chapel and cast an eerie yet cozy glow throughout the large space. My feet could not carry me any further and I collapsed into a pew in the very back. I propped my injured leg up and leaned back as best as I could, reveling in the peace and quiet that solitude brought.

My eyes were closed and I was singing one of Lisa's favorite songs in my head when the chapel door opened hours later. The footsteps were so quiet that I wouldn't have heard them had they not been so easily recognizable. There was only one person I knew that could walk without making much sound. And that person sat down in the pew across the aisle from me.

Dimitri had his head in his hands as he sat there silently. There was no way he could have known that I was here. I hadn't made a sound since the doors opened and was still as possible to avoid alerting him to my presence. But fate had other plans. Or maybe it was just the pain medication wearing off that caused my bad leg to fall off the pew with a loud thud, taking the rest of me with it and sending Dimitri into guardian defcon five.

I yelped loudly when my back hit the hard wood floor and my leg started to feel like it was on fire again. But neither was as painful as the hit my ego took when I looked up to see a very irritated Dimitri staring down at me. The look on his face said that he really didn't want to talk to me, but I had interrupted his quiet time and now he had no choice.

"Hey, comrade," I plastered a fake smile on my face, "what are you up to?"

"Why aren't you in the clinic, Rose?" Rose…ouch. No 'Roza' for me.

"I escaped." I whispered and nodded my head. "Three times in two months is a little too much clinic for old Rose here."

I used my elbows to push myself into a sitting position, from there I was able to half pull half drag the rest of my body back onto the narrow pew. Dimitri watched me struggle, and even though I saw his hands twitch like he was getting ready to catch me if I slipped, he made no move to help me. I was grateful for that. My pride couldn't take another hit. Dimitri sat beside me once he was sure I wasn't going to fall over again.

"Are you okay, Roza." His voice was quiet and tentative, as though he wasn't quite sure of how to act around me anymore.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" I asked him. "When I was pulled into bond, I could see you tranquilized and you were out cold. Do you know how bad I felt when I realized that I would either be able to rescue you or rescue Lissa and Christian. It was the worst thing that I have ever been through."

"You didn't need to worry about me." Dimitri chuckled. "I was out of the ropes within seconds of waking up and the guards were easily subdued."

There was no question in my mind that Dimitri could take down the guards and even Victor. But the thought of him being that close to a Strigoi had almost ripped me apart. I couldn't take that kind of pain again. I was still plagued with the memory of Dimitri's time as a Strigoi. I don't think I'd ever be able to just forget it. I had nightmares constantly of the night I had shoved a stake into Dimitri's heart and watch him fall from that bridge. Every single time it broke my heart.

"The Princess has a very unique gift." Dimitri said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I can understand why you fight so fiercely to keep it a secret."

"How?" I choked out. "How do you know?"

"I had to break both of my thumbs to get out of the ropes." Dimitri shook his head and I could see him reliving the moment as he stared at his hands. "When she saw the injury she said that she could heal them. I didn't believe it until I felt them pop back into place. There was no pain whatsoever."

"It would be wonderful, if it didn't hurt her so badly." I growled out. "I hate to think of how much damage it's caused with her healing Victor."

"Don't worry. The Headmistress and Ms. Carmack are already working on the best way to help her." Dimitri promised.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive me for killing Natalie? I mean I just killed her friend," I whispered, "she was just a stupid little girl. And I killed her."

Dimitri sat back against the pew and crossed his arms. "She was Strigoi. She turned of her own free will. Had you not killed her she might have escaped only to kill again. Then those deaths would have been on both our consciences. The princess can't blame you for that."

"I know." I turned to look at him. "What bother's me the most is that I'd do it all over again if I had to."

"You should have taken Victor outside like I asked you to." He said after a long moment of awkward silence. "You should not have taken that risk."

My hackles raised immediately in irritation, but when I looked at him, I could only see how worried he looked. "I'm sorry I went against your orders. But I had the advantage and I used it."

Dimitri looked momentarily shocked at my apology. I think that this was the first time I had ever apologized to him. And it really caught him off guard. So off guard that he put his arm around me and pulled me close so that my back was partially leaning on his chest. My heart leapt in joy and sadness. I had missed this so much.

"When you walked into that room, I was so scared, Roza." Dimitri's voice held this deathly calm that I couldn't ignore. "I didn't even see Dashkov's daughter until she had run into the room screaming. At that point I thought that she was just distraught over what her father had done. It wasn't until I saw her eyes that I realized that she was Strigoi. By then it was too late for the guardians that had been with him. She killed one while I was trying to pull Prince Dashkov out of harms way. The other had merely gotten too close to her, not knowing what she had become. I was trying to keep her attention diverted until I had a way out. Then the sun came up and I knew she was trapped in that cabin, screaming and throwing things, but we were trapped too."

His arms arm tightened around me as he continued his side of the story. "And then you walked in, covered in blood, looking like an avenging angel and my heart stopped. There was such rage and pain in your eyes that I couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened. I feared that the Princess or Mr. Ozera were dead. Don't get me wrong, you are more than capable, Roza. But you haven't been trained to stake Strigoi yet, and Natalie was someone close to you. I feared for you."

I put my gauzed hand on his arm and patted it gently, letting him know that I wasn't offended that he had doubted me.

"All I could think about was that I should have let Natalie kill her father and then staked her before she could hurt anyone else. I held back, thinking that I had everything under control. But you, Roza, you didn't hold back. You did what you were trained to do and more. I am proud to say that you didn't hesitate like I did. You may have ignored a direct order, but you handled the situation like a true guardian. And all I could think was that I never wanted to see you that close to a Strigoi again. I never want you to be in any danger."

"I'm tougher than you think, Comrade." I smiled at him.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, he leaned forward and light brushed his lips against mine, as though he was testing his resolve, and then everything in the world disappeared except for him. He carefully placed my arms behind his head and scooped me up and stood to leave the chapel. I wanted to tell him that I could walk just fine on my own, but the feeling of him being so close was too good to lose.

The kiss ended when Dimitri opened the door and carried me out of the church. The cold didn't bother me as I had burrowed into Dimitri's duster with him. I kept my face buried in his shoulder as he walked back through the thick snow to the dorms.

"I'm very proud of you." Dimitri told me with a heart melting smile.

Dimitri was gentle as he placed me on the my bed. I reached up and pulled him in for another deep kiss. The bright smile was still on his face when we finally surfaced for air. And I know my own was no different.

"Goodnight, Roza." Dimitri walked out and shut the door behind him, leaving me to a very restless sleep.

* * *

Only I wasn't really asleep. I was standing in an apartment in New York City that overlooked Central Park. Wearing a skin tight bright red cocktail dress and hooker heels.

I was going to kill Adrian.

**\- End Chapter Ten -**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know!**


	11. Dark Paradise

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_Queen Tatiana followed her guards, wearing a red silk dress and matching jacket. She was in her early sixties and had dark gray hair bobbed to her chin and crowned with a Miss America-type tiara. She moved into the room slowly, like she was taking a stroll, four more guardians at her back. She moved through the novices' section fairly quickly, though she did nod and smile here and there. Dhampirs might just be the half-human, illegitimate children of the Moroi, but we trained and dedicated our lives to serving and protecting them. The likelihood was strong that many of us gathered here would die young, and the queen had to show her respect for that._

_When she got to the Moroi section, she paused longer and actually spoke to a few students. It was a big deal to be acknowledged, mostly a sign that someone's parents had gotten in good with her._

_Vampire Academy_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Dark Paradise**

"Adrian!" I growled as I turned around to see Adrian checking me out. "What have I said about you dressing me?"

"Come on, darling," Adrian took me by the hand and spun me around, "you know that you look incredible in this."

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point." I narrow my eyes at him. "When you dress me like this it makes me feel like a figment of your weird fantasies."

"I promise not to dress you anymore, little dhampir." Adrian looked down at me and I couldn't help but stare into his brilliant green eyes.

"So how was your flight?" I shook my head to clear it and sat down on the white leather couch.

"The airport was packed. The flight was long. None of that matters." Adrian sat down beside me. "How are _you_?"

"Let's see," I tapped my chin with my finger. "Since we last talked, I've been stuck in the clinic getting tortured by a very grumpy nurse. Stolen a vehicle and almost ran over a guardian while escaping the campus to go rescue my best friend, her boyfriend, and my mentor. I've been chewed on by a psi-hound, killed a Strigoi and got felt up by a very angry gaggle of ghosts. So I'm okay."

"You don't do anything half way, do you?" Adrian chuckled.

"You should see the way I party." I said before I could catch myself.

"I'll have to keep that in mind." Adrian laughed as he moved closer to me.

My mind caught up with me and I jumped to my feet. I couldn't do this. Adrian had been a great friend and it wasn't right to lead him on if my heart wasn't in it. But I longed to just let loose. The suffocating feeling of always being on guard had been getting to me and I was beginning to lose control. I choked the feeling down and turned back to my surroundings.

The city looked beautiful from here, buzzing with life and lights. I had always wanted to visit Manhattan.

"Can you send me back?" I asked Adrian. "I've got something that I need to do."

"Sure," Adrian was disappointed and it made me feel really bad. "Goodnight, darling."

* * *

And just like that I woke up back in my bed with a heavy heart.

I took a hot shower and was relieved to see that my leg looked pretty good. The scars were faint enough that I had to really search for them. The stitches had dissolved while I slept and there was barely any evidence that my leg had ever been in the mouth of a psi-hound.

It was just going on two in the afternoon and I ran out of the room at top speed. I felt marvelous. There was no limping or pain and I let out a relieved laugh. I pulled the door to the gym open and groped around for the light switch. I had a punching bag with my name on it and a radio ready to play my tunes.

I had already kicked the punching bag's ass twice when Dimitri walked into the gym, a book under his arm and a cup of coffee in his other hand. He took one look at me and shook his head as he sat down on the bench. I grabbed a bottle of water and flopped down on the bench next to him.

"I didn't expect to see you here this morning." Dimitri said in his deep voice. "I thought you would sleep for a year."

"Well, you know, things to do, people to see and all that bullshit." I shrugged and took a big gulp of water.

"Your mother spent half the night yelling at the headmistress and Guardian Petrov." Dimitri said in a serious tone. "She believes that something is wrong with you. That you are not acting like yourself."

"Say what now?" I quirked an eyebrow. "And just how am I supposed to be acting?"

"She believes that something has happened to traumatize you." Dimitri responded, and I searched his face for the signs that he was telling a joke, but there wasn't one.

"I'm not traumatized!" I said hotly.

"Your mother was very persuasive in her argument." Dimitri turned to look at me. "There is something about you though. Something that doesn't quite fit with your reputation."

"Well shit," I rolled my eyes, "they've caught me trying to stay on my best behavior. Do I need to steal the private jet next to make all of you feel better?"

"No," Dimitri turned to me with narrowed eyes as though he believed I would do just that, "I think that you have a good head on your shoulders. You can think quickly and you will stop at nothing to keep your charge safe. Once you are assigned to a Moroi, it will always be about them, as it should be. But you need to think of yourself right now. You will only be young once. Enjoy it."

I stood up and grabbed my water bottle from the bench. "I don't need a promise mark to protect Lissa. And I don't need to have anyone's approval over how I act."

The air outside was even colder as I walked back to my dorm. Dimitri hadn't been judging or rude when he talked to me but still I was overcome with anger. I checked the bond, but Lissa was in a dreamless undisturbed sleep. The feeling kept washing over me as my mind replayed conversations and confrontations from my dream. It made me so angry that I couldn't keep Lissa's gift a secret. I knew that she needed help and that I couldn't get it for her without telling someone, but it still all felt completely out of my control. Somehow I had altered the sequence of events and I was the only one paying the price. And then the feeling left me and I was okay again. Well, I wasn't okay, I felt like I was losing my freaking mind. But at least I wasn't on the verge of a total psychotic break.

After another quick shower and I got dressed and headed out of my room with my head held high. I promised myself that I would get through the day unscathed and I meant to keep that promise. I walked out of the door with my backpack slung over my shoulder and a smile on my face. All I had to do was go to the clinic and get cleared to go to classes and training, then it was time to eat.

"Well, everything looks good." Dr. Olendzki said happily. "I don't want to see you back in here, Miss Hathaway."

"What if I drop by with cookies?" I ask with a sad face.

"Only then." The doctor laughed. "Now get dressed, you're going to be late for breakfast."

And that was exactly where I was going. Other than the craptastic food they served in the clinic, I hadn't eaten a real meal in over a week. Breakfast was going to be epic in the edible sense. Or at least I thought it would be. Kirova, Alberta, and Dimitri walked into the exam room as I was pulling on my jeans. My pants were around my knees, showing off my lacey black undies. The florescent lights made the faint white scars more visible and I could feel their eyes on me. Dimitri had definitely gotten an eyeful of my ass.

Alberta coughed, turned around and closed the curtain. "I apologize Miss Hathaway. I thought that you were ready.

"I'm not shy," I tried to contain my amusement.

"Miss Hathaway," Kirova said through the curtain, "we need you to follow us. There are a few things that need to be taken care of before you go breakfast."

I opened the curtain and followed them out of the clinic to the main guardian building. My brain went into overdrive trying to come up with a reason why I was being escorted by these three higher ups. _Was I being expelled over the jeep incident? Did they need to question me about Lissa's kidnapping? Had something bad happened?_

Alberta opened the door to her office and we all filed in with me going in last. All three of them took a seat and Dimitri pointed out a chair for me to sit, right beside himself. I sat down and tried my best to school my features into calm and composed, but inwardly my heart was racing and I wanted nothing more than to dart out of the room and run as far as I could.

"We've brought you here to discuss a few different matters, Rose." Guardian Petrov said with a great amount of pride. "First of all, we would like to commend you on how well you handled yourself during recent events. You not only led the rescue group to where Mr. Dashkov had taken the Princess, but you kept the Ozera boy safe. Not to mention killing your first Strigoi. As you know, we usually have a ceremony when we give molnija marks. But considering the situation, we feel it's best to keep this small. We've been informed that bringing a lot of attention to this could put Miss Dragomir in more danger. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded to her.

"Lionel will be waiting for you in his office after we finish here. Guardian Belikov will escort you there to receive your mark." Guardian Petrov leaned forward on her desk as her eyes bored into mind, "Please don't think that we are making light of your accomplishment. You have surpassed our expectations and we are very proud."

"Thank you." I was at a loss for words.

Kirova turned to me with a far less friendly look on her face. "Guardian Belikov has informed me that there are problems with bullying in the Moroi dorms. We feel it would be best to have an added security with the Princess at all times. I've already informed the hall monitors in B wing dorm that you will be staying in Vasilisa's suite until something else can be arranged."

My heart soared at the news. Lissa would be thrilled.

Kirova kept talking at a brisk pace as though the words tasted sour. "Keep in mind that you are not there to fraternize with the Moroi. You are there to help protect the Princess and you must act this way. Think of it as training for your future career. I will not have you acting like a wild child, starting fights and throwing parties."

"I understand, Headmistress." I said as sincerely as I could and try to keep an innocent look on my face.

"The third and final reason we are here is to request that you keep us informed on Vasilisa's state of mind. She has told us that she has a problem with controlling her gift and that you can somehow help her with that. We need to be notified at once if she is in a place to do harm to herself or others. We cannot have her running around compelling students and staff again. You are to report anything of importance to Guardian Belikov. You will be working closely with him to keep the Princess safe. If we find that we can not trust you to come to us with this, you will face the consequences not only for your failure, but for her actions as well. Do you understand, Miss Hathaway?"

Her tone left a lot to be desired and I could already feel my temper getting out of control. I didn't like it that they wanted me to snitch on Lissa. There was no way that I could do that to her.

"I understand completely." I said through gritted teeth.

"We are done here for now." Kirova said standing up and brushing the wrinkles from her skirt. "Have a good day."

The minute she walked out the door and closed it, Alberta rolled her eyes. "You are free to go, Rose. And thank you again. If you need any help moving your things, please let one of us know."

"Thank you, Guardian Petrov." I told her as she shook my hand and opened the door for us to leave.

"Good day, Alberta." Dimitri said, as he walked out and lead us to where Lionel's office was.

The whole tattoo process was less painful this time around thanks to the pain killers I was still on. Lionel made quick work of tattooing the lighting bolt molnija mark and gave me a quick rundown of aftercare then gave me a quick hug in honor of me getting a mark. It was a solemn feeling that I left with.

"There will be no training today." Dimitri stopped as soon as we got to the doors. "The Queen will be visiting later this evening and I am helping with the preparations."

"Tatiana," I groaned loudly, "ich, I just can't catch a break."

Dimitri quirked an eyebrow at me in response. "If you are cleared to resume training, I will see you in the morning."

"Wouldn't miss it." I winked at him and patted his arm. "Now I've got to go hunt me down some grub, partner."

Dimitri gave me one of his rare bright smiles as walked back to the offices shaking his head.

There was a lot of commotion surrounding the cafeteria when I walked in.

Lissa jumped up and ran toward me, with my mother following her. "Oh, Rose! You look great! How do you feel?"

"Better." I replied as I looked at Lissa. "You look better too. What the heck is going on in here?"

"The dance is tonight, silly," Lissa said as though I knew. "And Queen Tatiana will be here for dinner."

"Yay!" I said in mock excitement. "I can't wait."

"Can I speak to Rose for a moment, sweetheart?" My mother said to Lissa.

Lissa nodded and went back to sit by Christian.

"I have to go or I'll miss my flight." She said with regret. "I thought you were going to meet me for breakfast earlier."

"I was in Kirova's office all morning." I responded as I took in her rather tired looking state. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." My mother looked irritated. "The Headmistress should have informed me that she'd be talking to you today. Did you get the mark?"

"Yeah," I picked at the itchy bandage.

"Don't scratch it." My mother pulled my hand away and looked at me with sadness in her eyes. "Are _you _okay?"

"I'm handling things." I looked away quickly.

"I have to go." She said finally.

We both stood there awkwardly for a second before I pulled her into a hug. "Keep in touch and stay safe."

She pushed me back by the shoulders and stared at me. "Shouldn't I be the one to say that?"

"Does it really matter?" I responded automatically.

She smiled at me and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "I love you, Rose."

"Love you too, mom." I said as she turned around and walked out.

The dorms were totally abandoned when I returned to my dorm as everyone else had classes, this was a good thing considering I didn't want to have to spend an hour explaining my new housing situation to the guys. Their little imaginations were already running wild with theories about what Lissa and I got up to while we were on the run.

There was another freaking cardboard box on my bed. The note read:_** 'Last time. I promise, little dhampir.' **_When I opened it up to find a beautiful strapless black dress wrapped in white paper sitting on top of a shoe box. I was really going to have a talk with Adrian about him constantly spending money on me. But as I held up the dress and looked in the mirror, I forgot all about it.

* * *

Later that evening I stood in Lissa's suite helping her fix hair in the full length mirror. Guest housing was where the rich Moroi parents stayed when they came to visit their children. Sometimes a lone royal would stay to 'observe' how the school was being run. Which was generally code for them wanting to get away from court without having to do any real work. The room was even nicer than I expected it to be. We each had our own room and their was even a small kitchen for us to use.

"I can't believe a dress you bought online can fit that perfectly." Lissa stared at my dress for the hundredth time. "You're so lucky."

"Yeah, I guess." I said evasively as I pulled the pins out of her hair. "All done."

"Thanks, Rose, I love it." Lissa turned her head from side to side examining my handiwork.

"Do you want to borrow a necklace?" Lissa asked as she pulled out her jewelry box.

"I'm okay without one. They always make me feel like I'm choking." I made a funny face and Lissa laughed as she walked over to open the door.

I went to my room to put on my shoes when the little jewelry box on my desk caught my eye. The diamond earrings looked very simple yet elegant with the black dress and I smiled to myself. I looked good.

"Who was it Lis?" I yelled as I stumbled trying to get my feet into the stilettos.

"Dimitri," Lissa replied and walked into my room with an annoyed look. "I've been summoned to have a private dinner with her Majesty before the dance."

"Like, now?" I asked her.

"Yeah," Lissa sighed. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it, babe." I hugged her. "The Queen loves you. And if she doesn't you can make her."

"I'll see you at the dance." Lissa laughed at my crossed eyed look as she put her coat on and walked out.

Dimitri was still standing in the living room when I walked out to give Lissa her clutch. His eyes met mine and traveled all the way down. He looked dashing in a all black suit and I couldn't help but ogle him.

"Is Lissa still here?" I asked him quietly as I took a few steps toward him.

"No," He answered and took a step forward.

"Aren't you supposed to stay with her?" I took another step.

"The Queen was adamant that she be alone." He replied not taking his eyes off of me. "And she and her guardians are just across the hall."

"So why are you here?" I closed the gap between us and stared up at him.

"Because I needed to check out the security in the room." Dimitri leaned down to kiss me and I melted into his arms as they wrapped around me.

Dimitri took a step back and fell over the arm of the couch pulling me down with him. I landed on top of him and leaned down to resume our heated kiss, his hands traveling across the exposed skin on my shoulders.

"You look beautiful, Roza," Dimitri whispered into my ear as his lips moved to my shoulder. "So beautiful."

"You don't look half bad yourself, comrade." I said as I reached around to unzip my dress.

**End Chapter Eleven**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.**

**A whole lot of dialogue in this. But things start picking up the after this one.**

**A big thank you to everyone who has supported this story. It means the world to me.**


	12. If I Had You

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_"I want you to break the spell. Finish it off.__"_

_"What do you mean?__"_

_"The spell you did on me and Dimitri.__"_

_"That spell is done. It burned itself out.__"_

_I shook my head. "No. I keep thinking about him. I keep wanting to…__"_

_He smiled knowingly when I didn't finish. "My dear, that was already there, long before I set that __up."_

_"It wasn't like this. Not this bad.__"_

_"Maybe not consciously.__But everything else…the attraction__—__physical and mental was already in you. And in him. It wouldn't have worked otherwise. The spell didn't really add anything new, it just removed inhibitions and strengthened the feelings you already had for each other.__"_

_Vampire Academy_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Twelve**

**If I had You**

Dimitri's hands roamed my body as though he was savoring every bit. My hands slipped under his shirt and I felt the hard toned muscles under my fingertips. Dimitri pulled me up until I was sitting on top of him as he leaned back on the couch while he captured my mouth with his own. I wasn't sure what to do next. To be quite honest I had no control over my body, maybe I just had too much on my mind, maybe I just wanted him to do everything that Dream Dimitri did and more. All I knew was that there was a gorgeous Russian man on my couch with me and I had to have him. He lifted me up gently and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me to my bedroom and set me on the bed.

Clothes went flying in every direction in our haste until that moment came when there was nothing left to shed. I could tell he was tense, but this could be exactly what we both needed to relax. Dimitri ran his hands over me and I let out a loud moan.

"Are you sure about this, Roza?" he looked at me through heavily lidded eyes.

"Yes, but, uh, this is my first time so just - do it quick - like taking off a band aid." I said not quiet lying.

"You have never been with a man?" He asked incredulously as his hands found my breasts.

"Nope...but the anticipation is going to kill me." I whimpered at the feeling and gave him a look that said if he stopped I would seriously hurt him.

"Never." He said as his lips met mine once again.

His lips stayed on mine as he entered me. We both groaned at the marvelous feeling. He met my barrier and slowly pulled back before quickly thrusting back in. I kept my eyes on his. For months I had tried to keep my feelings for him buried deep within my heart. To let myself love him freely would have hurt me too bad. And I knew it still could. But there in that moment. I had him. He was mine and I was his.

We kept our eyes locked together as he moved his hips and ran his hands down to grip my ass. I had never felt anything so wonderful in my life and I had to mentally chastise myself that this was wrong on so many levels. But it felt so right. To be here and to give myself completely to him made me feel whole again.

I kept my hands in his hair and pulled him in to deepen the kiss. He had sweat on his brow and his movements were slow and well controlled. He was like the fucking energizer bunny, he just kept going and going until I started to reach my climax, and I know he was close to his. A loud moan escaped my lips and Dimitri grabbed my hips and moved me into the most glorious position.

My hands traveled the muscles on his chest and arms as the glorious feeling of completion washed over me. I bit my lip and buried my face into his shoulder to keep from crying out his name. Dimitri gave one final thrust and went completely still above me. We were both panting heavily and gasping for air as he gave me a few breathless kisses.

"You are amazing, Roza." He brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"You're the amazing one," I gave him a quick kiss, "I'm just me."

Dimitri had dipped his head down to my neck and his hair was tickling me. I turned my head to the side and tried to contain my laughter. It didn't help that when he tried to pull the cover over us, his feet ended up sticking out. Dimitri shook his head as he slowly and quietly crawled out of the bed and onto the floor. By the time we were both dressed and I had ran a comb through my tangled hair, Dimitri and I couldn't even look at each other without smiling.

I had barely made it through the bathroom door to give myself one last look over before the dance and reapply my makeup when the oddest sensation hit me. And I knew that I had felt it once before. It was like déjà vu. I look in the mirror and all I could see was the diamond earrings glinting off the light. My breath caught in my throat as I pulled the damned things out of my ears. Even locked up in the holding cells, Victor's machinations were still playing out. Only now it was too late. He had failed in his mission and the lust charm wouldn't have any effect on him. But it had effectively fucked up my night in epic proportions.

Flushing the earrings down the toilet had been a spur of the moment decision, but thinking about how much I could have pawned them for had me wincing as I watched them disappear.

When I walked back out of the bathroom I found myself alone. I checked the entire suite and there was no sign of Dimitri or anyone else. I cursed loudly and kicked the coffee table and then ended up limping around the room as I tried to ease the ache in both my foot and my heart. Whoever had interrupted us was seriously going to get it.

After one last look in the mirror, I opened the door to go to the dance. But there was someone standing in the hallway blocking my exit. He was in a navy blue suit. He was tall, but no where near Dimitri's height and he was facing the opposite direction as though he was watching the door across the hall. The smell of smoke and cloves assaulted my senses and I tapped the man on the shoulder. He turned around and I almost fell over.

"Little dhampir!" Adrian laughed as he scooped me up into his arms and hugged me. "You look even better in person."

"Holy Shit!" I yelped as he put me down. "What are you doing here?"

"Auntie was coming for a visit and I couldn't resist seeing you in real time." Adrian's eyes raked over me. "And I am not disappointed one bit."

"Most people would have the sense to run away from this kind of crazy." I shook my head.

"Well, I'm not most people." He responded by waggling his eyebrows at me suggestively. "And crazy intrigues me."

"Quit that!" I slapped his arm lightly.

"My apologies, darling." Adrian bowed his head and looked up at me through his thick lashes. "Will, my lady, please escort me to the dance."

My life had just gotten a lot more complicated. "Fine"

"Would you like a drink?" Adrian handed me a silver flask.

"Most definitely." I pulled the flask from his hands and drained it in the matter of seconds.

"Nice." Adrian smiled at me as he pulled out another flask and took a drink.

My throat burned the whole way to the ballroom, but I felt a hell of a lot better. I kept trying to tell myself that Dimitri only had sex with me because of the lust charm, but when I replayed the scene over again in my mind, I realized that he hadn't been anywhere near the earrings when he started to kiss me. He had done it all of his own choosing. He hadn't been compelled. But then I wondered why he had left without a word. Had he felt guilty? Did he regret it?

I took another flask from Adrian and emptied it just as quickly as the first while he was acting like James Bond and making sure we weren't being watched. Adrian kept me laughing with stories of his travels with Tatiana. Which he told me that each dreamscape he and I shared had been where he was on that particular night.

"And then the Russian minister trips and his wine spills down the front of her dress." Adrian gasped out through his chuckles. "It was a silk white dress- and wet - it showed off everything!"

"Queen Tahtahs!" I choked out as vodka comes out of my nose.

Adrian wasn't as composed as he stumbled at my words and fell to the ground laughing loudly. "Exactly!"

A group of Moroi students were watching our exchange in fascination and intrigue and I looked up and smiled boldly at them as I helped Adrian to his feet. Adrian had his arm around me as we walked into the ballroom. It looked like something out of a movie. The decorating committee hadn't spared any expense to turn the stark drab room into a place that glowed with life and fun. Lissa ran up to me, dragging Christian with her. She looked so beautiful in her blue dress.

"Looking good, flame boy," I slapped Christian on the back.

"Uh, thanks I guess." Christian coughed and moved out of my reach.

"Oh, Rose, look!" Lissa whispered and pointed behind me.

I turned around to see something that both made me smile and kind of hurt my heart. Mason and Meredith walked into the room arm in arm. They were both talking to each other and smiling. This is what he could have had in my dream if I hadn't spent so much time leading him on. I was so happy for him in that moment that I could have grabbed him and Meredith and hugged them hard.

"Little Princess, don't you remember me?" Adrian's voice had me turning back around to see him talking to Lissa. "I'm sure we've met once or twice before. But for the life of me I can't remember your name."

"Lissa Dragomir," she held out her hand. "And you are?"

The second their skin touched Lissa gasped and looked up at Adrian like he was some kind of new species that she had discovered. Christian watched their exchange with a jealous glint in eyes, so I reached around Lissa and pulled him back towards me.

"It's time to dance, flamer." I whispered to him as I pulled him a few feet onto the dance floor.

"Who the hell is that?" Christian followed while he kept turning around to stare at Lissa and Adrian who had sat down at a small table on the side of the room.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Chrissie," I laughed as a fast paced pop song came on. "That's just Adrian. He's like Lissa. If you get what I mean."

"What?" Christian narrowed his eyes as he stood there still as a post. "How is he like her?"

"He's a spirit user too." I hissed at him quietly. "And quit being so jealous. Lissa loves the hell out of you and Adrian is really not interested her in that way."

"How do you know?" Christian growled out at me as he crossed his arms. "And where did you meet him?"

"I met him in the hallway. I could tell he was a spirit user because of the bond I have with Lissa. I can sense it." Okay, I was lying through my teeth and probably sounded like an idiot, but oh well. "He's still trying out to figure out his gift, just like her. They can learn from each other."

"If you're sure." Christian looked doubtful. "But I don't like him."

"One hundred percent positive." I smiled at him showing too many teeth. "Are you going to dance? Or am I going to have to use you as a stripper pole?"

Christian looked appalled and more than a little grossed out. So much so that he actually started dancing with me. He even started laughing when I busted out some of my awesome moves. We were two songs in when Lissa walked up.

"Are you cutting in, bitch?" I put my hands on my hips and tilted my head to look at her.

"Yes, please." Lissa giggled at my craziness.

"Hells yeah," I whooped as I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me and then spun her out.

Lissa laughed as I clapped my hands and went into an Irish step dance style that was totally inappropriate for the booty shaking music that was playing, but she joined in. I let go of her hand and we both started dancing to the fast beat. Adrian stood beside Christian and shook his head in amusement. Lissa's head was thrown back as she laughed and the two of us were dancing close as we watched the way our peers interacted with each other.

"Don't you think Mason and Meredith look so cute together?" Lissa asked loud enough that only I could hear.

"Yeah," I said honestly. "They look very happy. When did that happen?"

"The night of your accident in the bleachers, I think." Lissa responded as she twirled around. "Didn't he use to have a crush on you?"

I didn't have the chance to answer Lissa's question.

"How about you two girls kiss for the camera?" Jesse laughed as his friends stood behind him.

Ralf was holding a video camera in his hands and I could see the lust in his eyes.

I pulled Lissa behind me. "Go the fuck away."

"Come on, Rose," Jesse said over the sound of the music. "You've never denied me before."

"Well get fucking used to it." I growled out as my temper was getting the better of me. "Cause I'm not interested."

Jesse reached forward and grabbed my arm as I turned around to walk away and out of instinct I punched him in the face. Blood splattered across my arm when Jesse's nose broke under my assault. My left fist swung out but hit nothing but air as arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind and pulled me back. I could feel it was Adrian from the undercurrent of darkness that his touch brought. From across the room, I could see Dimitri and a few guardians who had been watching the exchange move forward to break up the fight. I pulled out of Adrian's grip and took off out of the side door to get some air. But when the door shut behind me, it hit me that I didn't want to stay there. I needed to hit something again. And since Jesse would probably stay clear of me now, I had only one other option. I pulled off the heels and took off running for the gym.

It was dark when I opened the doors and I turned on the lights just for the punching bags. I turned the radio onto a hard rock station that mainly played early 90s hits and went to town on the punching bag. I could feel Lissa's worry and anger through the bond. When I slipped in to check on her I found her still standing in the ballroom.

_Christian had his arms wrapped around her as she shook furiously. "Why can't they just leave Rose alone? She hasn't bothered anybody or gotten into any trouble since we've been back!"_

Adrian stood further down, talking in low tones to the Queen who had a very sour expression on her face as she and her guardians made to leave the room. She had her eyes on Lissa as she walked out of the room and she said something to Adrian that made his face scrunch up in confusion. Anger and rage overwhelmed me and I swung out and hit the punching bag while my eyes were closed.

I was pulled out of Lissa's mind when a sense of breathlessness cam over me. I tried to take a breath but there was no air. My chest felt tight and there were black spots invading my vision. I leaned over and put my hands on my knees to try relieve the feeling. Was I having a panic attack? A heart attack?

I could feel someone getting closer and looked up to see the swimming face of Ralf, Lee Donahue and Jesse all standing around me. Jesse was holding the camera, his face still swollen and bloody, as he watched in smug satisfaction as I struggled to breathe.

"Give her a little air, Lee." Ralf's voice was loud and far too close. "We don't need her to pass out. It'll be more fun if she has a little fight in her."

Whatever Lee did worked, because I finally caught a lungful of air. I choked and gasped as they circled around me. The black spots in my vision cleared just as Ralf tackled me to the ground and pinned my arms to the side. I kneed him in the stomach as hard as and he was thrown backwards onto the mat. My one defensive move had cost me what little bit of air I had in my lungs. Despite that I still fought back when Ralf got back up and tried to take a swing at me. I ducked and grabbed his arm as it went over my head. I pulled it down and heard him scream out in pain as the joint was pulled out of place. I flung him away from me.

"Take the rest." Jesse hissed at Lee. "I no longer care if she passes out."

Lee swiped a hand through the air and the pressure on my chest became too much to bear. I stumbled over to the punching bag and slid onto the floor as my vision began to fade once again. I fought feebly as someone grabbed me by the hair and dragged me back. I reached for the hand pulling me, but my arms were forced to my sides. I thrashed on the ground as someone sat on top of me with their knees pinning my hands. I heard the fist flying through the air before I felt the punch hit my jaw.

"Damn, her blood smells sweet." Ralf groaned from somewhere to the left.

"Here, hold the camera while I get a taste of that." Jesse said as I felt his weight shift above me. "I bet she tastes likes cherries."

I could feel his breath on my neck and the sharp fangs so close to my skin that he would have drawn blood if he moved the least bit forward. Pure fury overcame me.

"Back away now!" Dimitri's low voice echoed throughout the gym.

"What's going on here?" Stan's voice was next.

I lurched forward, and pushed him off of me, not caring that his teeth had taken a chunk of flesh from my neck. Jesse lay sprawled out on the mat as I stumbled over and stepped on his neck and let my bare heel bury into his throat. I could hear the sounds of footsteps rushing toward me as Jesse's friends debated over whether or not they should run. The breath returned to my body and I took another choking gasp that left me coughing loudly. My legs were weak as I stood there and stared down at my attacker as rage burned in my veins. Dimitri's arms wrapped around my shoulders and I fought back, choking and gasping for air, as he pulled me away and held onto me tightly.

"Get her out of here!" Stan barked as he turned a furious look at the three boys.

"They filmed it if you want details!" My voice was harsh and raspy and my throat felt badly bruised and it stung badly.

"I'm fine." I gasped out, making Dimitri loosen his hold on me.

He set me down on the cold mat and turned me around.

Dimitri looked down at me with worried eyes and a grimace. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I winced as I picked up my shoes and went to walk out of the gym. "I just have to get out of here."

Dimitri handed me a handkerchief, but upon seeing the slightly dazed state I was in, he gently placed it on my neck. His hands were so big that I could feel their warmth encompassing all of my neck as he applied a little pressure to the wound while we walked.

"You need to go to the clinic." Dimitri finally said, moments later when my mind had caught up to me.

"The last place I need to go is the clinic." My voice was slurred as I stumbled up the steps to Lissa's suite.

The endorphins in Jesse's fangs had begun to overpower the adrenaline that was wearing off, mixed with the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed earlier that night. To say the least, I was pretty fucked up by the time I quietly opened the door and tiptoed into the living room. Dimitri followed me into the room and stood in front of me like a statue when I sat down on the couch. I didn't know if he wanted to talk or whatever, but he needed to make it quick because I wouldn't be awake for much longer.

And then we heard sounds coming from Lissa's room and Dimitri moved to go check on her, but I grabbed his wrist and stopped him. I put a finger to my lips to tell him to stay quiet, then pointed to the door and looked at Dimitri with an embarrassed smile. He quirked an eyebrow at me and I sighed as I made a rather vulgar gesture that said; 'Yeah, dude, they're getting nude and rude in there.'.

Dimitri lowered his eyes as he shook his head and sat down beside me and pulled me close. I looked up at him wondering what he was thinking about. He placed his hands on both sides of my face and stared into my eyes as though searching for signs of shock, but what shocked me was when he lowered his face even more and his lips met mine. My smile could have lit up the room when we stopped. Yup, no compulsion this time. I scooted down and put my head on his leg. Dimitri put his arm around me and I fell asleep holding his hand.

It didn't matter what life threw at me next. There was no way that I'd ever give up. There were great people in my life that I loved and I would fight for them until the end. And I had found the other piece to my soul and I would never let him go.

**End Chapter Twelve**

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**This is the final chapter of the Vampire Academy portion of this story. I have a hell of a ride ready for Frostbite.**

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know! **

**Thank you for reading Bonds Of Time! **


	13. Beyond The Veil Part 1

_I'd seen someone die once, but I'd never __seen__ death of this magnitude. After almost a minute, Dimitri finally removed his hand, but he stayed close behind me. I didn't want to look anymore, but I seemed unable to drag my eyes away from the scene before me. Bodies everywhere. Bodies and blood. _

_Finally, I turned toward him. _

_"It's daytime," I whispered. "Bad things __don't happen in the day." _

_I heard the desperation in my voice, a little girl's plea that someone would say this was all a bad dream._

_"Bad things can happen anytime," he told me. "And this didn't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple of nights ago."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time **

**Chapter Thirteen **

**Beyond The Veil Part 1**

It was early December and the snow continued to fall. The nights were cold and long, but the daylight was when I really came to life. It was in these bright hours that Dimitri and I could steal away to the gym and have some time alone. We usually just talked or sparred while listening to his crazy ass 80s music that I had learned to love. Okay, not love, but I tolerated it. Every great once in a while we would listen to something newer, like 90s music. And for Dimitri that was epic. He had even started liking Pearl Jam more than Prince, which was kind of a scary thought.

We hadn't had made love since the night of the Equinox dance and although it kind of bothered me. I got it. Dimitri had been wracked with guilt and had barely spoken to me for days afterward. It didn't help that I had been attacked by three Moroi boys the night of the dance just hours after he and I had done the deed. It was even worse that I still had classes and meals with them in the room. But I wasn't afraid. If I hadn't needed to breathe I was sure that I could have kicked all three of their asses in two seconds flat. But Dimitri was worried that our fledgling relationship would be discovered and that I'd be looked down on. Not to mention that he would lose his job at the Academy. He also worried constantly about how it would affect us as a couple when we both had to guard Lissa. But I knew it would all work out fine. Dimitri had even begun letting me spar with the other novices on the good days when the darkness hadn't been bothering me.

And the darkness was always lurking at the edge of my senses waiting for me. In my dream there had been times when the darkness had even worked to my advantage and the ghosts had helped me defeat Strigoi. There was almost a symbiotic relationship between it and I. But right now it was too disorganized and jumbled. The ghosts seemed hell bent on making me lose my mind before I could do anything useful.

Another issue I had was Adrian. He had visited me every single night since the dance. We would talk or just sit there and enjoy each others company while playing card games or putting puzzles together. Sounds boring, I know, but it worked for us. He kind of felt like the older brother that I never had. Well, now he did. There was that one awkward night about a week or so back when he caught me off guard, and the results were not pretty.

* * *

"I own Boardwalk, bitch!" I laughed as he pursed his lips in frustration. "Pay up!"

Adrian kneeled and reached across the table to make change at the same time I went to straighten my little tipped over hotel. We almost collided and our faces were inches apart and then he closed the gap and full on the mouth kissed me. He kissed me like his life depended on it. And all I felt was the sensation of his lips on mine.

And then he lurched back eyes wide and intense confusion washed over his face. "That was gross!"

"Excuse me!" I said hotly. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know." Adrian grimaced. "But I wished I wouldn't have. That was like accidentally kissing my mother!"

"You've kissed your mother?" I couldn't help but laugh as he squirmed under my stare.

"Not intentionally!" Adrian argued as he stood up and started pacing. "I don't get it."

"Me neither." I said seriously. "Your mom's kind of hot."

"What? No!" Adrian stared at me in disbelief. "I just thought that I would kiss you and that you would feel the same way about me as I did for you."

"You mean like a brother?" I clarified. And, well, lied.

"No!" Adrian grabbed his hair and pulled. "Since the first night you appeared in my dreams I thought that you were a sign from the gods that I was meant to be with you. I've loved you over these past months and have hoped that you would feel the same about me. And now I kiss you and it just feels wrong."

And so the turning point in our relationship began. Because even in my dream, I had never been able to fully give my heart to Adrian. I loved him dearly, but he was not the one for me. Nor was I the one for him. And after taking a couple days of dreamscape free nights to get over it, we went back to our old routine of games and easy chats, only Adrian never made another pass at me again.

* * *

The day started like any other, at the early - in vampire standards - hour of two in the afternoon, I made my way to the gym. Only this morning I didn't go straight in. I ran ten laps around the track first. My muscles were beginning to get back to the way they should have been all along. The situation with the bleachers and the psi-hounds had set me back a good bit, but I was determined to be at the top of my game before Christmas. And it was working.

"Get inside," Dimitri caught up to me on the track, "there has been a change of plans."

We jogged together to the doors in silence as the snow floated down in lazy waves. It had been like that for days and the temperatures never came up enough for it to melt.

"What's going on?" I asked the second were in the warm dark room. "Has something happened?"

"No," Dimitri said cryptically. "You missed your Qualifier exam while you were gone with the Princess. I am to take you today to complete it."

The images of the massacred Moroi and guardians flashed in my mind. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're ready." Dimitri hesitated. "Dress warm. There's a possibility that the storm will get worse."

"Give me twenty minutes." My mouth felt dry and my hands shook. "I'll meet you in the garage."

Dimitri narrowed his eyes at my reluctance but didn't comment as I took off out of the doors and back across the snow covered campus. Lissa was asleep when I walked back into the room. As quietly as I could manage, I put on a set of warm yet practical clothes and grabbed my heaviest jacket from the hanger. My tattered old messenger bag was hanging on the chair by the door and on instinct I grabbed it too. There were times in life when you needed prepared for anything and I wasn't about to set out on this quest without my Ipod.

"You're early." Dimitri noted as I walked up to the garage doors. "Are you nervous?"

"Nope, not nervous." I gave him my best not nervous look.

He wasn't fooled. "Get in the truck, Roza."

We piled into a rather old but sturdy looking Ford Bronco and I stared at the dash in a moment of teenage angst. There wasn't an auxiliary jack or even a freaking CD player. But by gosh there was a tape player. And Dimitri had a shoebox full of cassette tapes just waiting for us. But it wasn't the thought of really old music or even the cold that had my hands shaking like crazy. It was the thought of riding through those iron gates, of passing through the wards and into the darkness. It was the main reason why I had taken one of my left over pain pills before I started getting dressed and packed the rest of the bottle.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Dimitri said seriously as he turned on the truck and we headed out into the snow covered grounds. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"Not yet." I replied as honestly as I could. "Who's guarding Lissa while we're gone?"

"Guardian Alto will be keeping an eye on her." Dimitri said quickly. "Is there something wrong? We can go back. Arthur wasn't expecting us until the middle of the week. I just thought today would be easier since it's the weekend."

"No!" I said quickly. "Nothing's wrong. I was just making sure."

Dimitri had rescheduled the trip earlier than in my dream. There was still time. There was still hope.

We reached the gates and I cringed, but nothing happened. There was no fog of ghosts or spirits or Strigoi. There was only the open road and the two of us sitting side by side in an older SUV. A wide smile started growing on my face the further we went past the gates without anything dark and scary jumping out at me. I was freaking out it was so nice. So nice that I popped a cassette into the tape player. Dimitri almost looked frightened to be trapped in the vehicle with me.

"I made a promise I wouldn't sing, comrade." I said as Creedence Clearwater Revival played over the ancient stereo. "I keep my promises."

"You can break it just this once." Dimitri smiled at me as he reached for the dial. "As long as I can sing too."

"So what book are you reading now?" I asked curiously. "Let me guess; Danielle Steele."

"No," Dimtri chuckled, "I'm still on The Shadow Riders. I haven't had much time to read lately."

"Did you bring it?" I asked him with a smile on my face.

"Yes, but I can't read it now." Dimitri said as he looked at me in suspicion.

"Get over here and read." I put the puppy dog eyes on and hoped it would work. "I'll drive."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Dimitri said even though he started to slow down.

"Are you doubting my driving skills, comrade?" I put a look of mock hurt on my face. "Come on, I rarely get to drive anymore."

"Just for a little while." Dimitri sighed as he parked the truck on the side of the road.

My seat belt was stuck and I had to fiddle with it for a moment to get the buckle to unfasten. Dimitri had opened my door, book in hand, as he waited to help me out. Determined not to be helped, I stepped down onto the pavement without taking his hand. The steep grade of the road caught me off guard and my feet went out from under me, sending me sliding into the soft powdery snow. My hands covered my face as I could feel it burning in embarrassment. It didn't help that Dimitri was laughing at me as he helped me to my feet and led me back to the Driver's seat.

The day would forever be etched into my memory. My ribs hurt so bad from laughing that I thought that I was going to die. But it was the best day I had ever had. Especially when Dimitri's hand crossed the seats and grabbed my own as his low sweet voice filled the cab. I felt like the smile would never wear off. That is until we pulled into the Badica's driveway. I could feel the darkness starting to close in, it wasn't really bad, not like it had been when the Orbis de Vigil was under my bed, but still bad enough that I was instantly on edge.

"Come on, Rose," Dimitri opened his door and pointed to the gray house, "Arthur's waiting."

Our footsteps crunched through the deep snow and I made a mental note to thank Adrian for the warm boots he had sent. My eyes traveled as far as I could see, looking for signs of the wards being tampered with, but all was well. The darkness had subsided as soon as I was within fifty feet from the door. So at least I was confident about where the wards were placed.

"Belikov!" A tall and well muscled man was standing in the doorway, waving us in, "Get in out of the cold."

His voice was very soft and kind, something I didn't expect from the world renowned Strigoi killer. We walked into a small room and cleaned our shoes and then followed Arthur into the dining room. He gestured for us to sit and I automatically obeyed. The man was not only a legend, but he held the power to pass or fail me on the Qualifier. His face and arms were lined with scars from the many battles he had been in. It made me wonder if I would ever make it long enough to have that many.

"I've heard very impressive tales, Miss Hathaway," Arthur leaned forward and stared at me, "all about you. You've gotten quite the reputation."

"Can't always believe hearsay." I smiled at him. "It's always exaggerated."

"Modesty!" He laughed quietly. "I like that. It's a great trait to have in a guardian. But tell me, Rose, did you really escape the Academy's best guardians for a full year with the Princess without being detected?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded my head in confusion. "But they found us."

"And you took down three fully trained guardians, while injured, trying to free the Princess?" Arthur asked with a glint in his eyes and I could tell this was part of his test.

"Yes, sir." I answered again, wondering where he was going with the questions. "But she stopped me before I could get to the other nine."

Arthur laughed again, "That's what I like to hear, child. But still, you always have to know when to fight and when not to."

Our conversation was interrupted by a horde of little footsteps. Three small children came running into the room and stopped when they saw the three of us sitting around the table.

"What are you kids doing up so early?" Arthur said as he glanced at the clock that showed seven in the evening. "Your parents aren't going to be happy."

"We heard talking!" The little girl said as she stared from me to Dimitri. "Are you guardians? Will you be coming to live with us too?"

"Rose," Arthur pointed at me, "is a student at the Academy. She is training to be a guardian. And this is her instructor Guardian Belikov. She is taking a very important test right now."

The little girl walked up to Dimitri and held up her arms for him to pick her up. He smiled and didn't hesitate to set her on his lap.

"I like you, you're tall." The little girl told him as she felt his hair.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. It was such a childlike thing for her to say, but it was so great to see these children alive and whole. The little boys who couldn't have been school age were both staring at me with wide eyes. My eyes had crossed and my tongue poked out during our staring match. Both of them broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Go on upstairs, you three." Arthur told them kindly. "If you give us a little more time maybe they can join us for breakfast."

My stomach had been growling for the past hour, but the moment he said breakfast a wave of nausea washed over me. And it wasn't because I was sick. There were Strigoi nearby. I could feel it. My stomach rolled as I watched the children run back upstairs. I jumped up and went to the nearest window.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Arthur asked as he watched my face.

"Get everyone to safety." I hissed at Dimitri as I saw the headlights in the distance. "Strigoi."

"Are you sure?" Dimitri asked quickly as he followed Arthur to stand at another window.

"Yes," I responded quickly. "They're getting close."

"How can you tell when they are nearby?" Arthur asked with narrowed eyes as he opened a drawer and grabbed a handful of stakes out.

"I just get this weird feeling." I said evasively as reached forward to grab a stake.

"No, Rose," Dimitri grabbed my hand to stop me. "We will go check the perimeter and you will stay here."

"If she is ever to learn how to be a guardian she needs to learn how to check a perimeter herself." Arthur objected. "I'll put the family on alert and she can walk with me."

Although I was grateful that I wasn't being sidelined, I didn't want to let Dimitri out of my sight. With the two of us, there were only a total of five guardians going up seven or eight Strigoi and if my dream could be believed, there were humans with them.

The Badica family and their guest were none too thrilled over having to wake up extra early to get to safety, which in this house was the dusty panic room in the attic that was full of skylights and florescent lights ran off a small generator that was in the attic with them. It wasn't the safest place if you thought about it, but it was better than being in a dark basement that a Strigoi could hide out in for days.

"But it's barely past sunset." One of the other guardians said as he walked out of the patio door with Dimitri. "We're wasting our time. This house is heavily warded and there has never been an attack here."

"Stay close, child." Arthur ordered as we walk out of the front door and into the cold evening. "If you're right, then you have a precious gift."

"Only if precious means possibly vomiting on a Strigoi." I responded and then winced as I remembered who I was speaking to.

"Whatever works." Arthur chuckled quietly as he handed me two stakes. "But these might come in handy."

"Thanks." I smiled at him as I kept a stake in hand.

We didn't have to walk far before I could feel the rage and pain creeping in. I rolled my shoulders as the feelings became stronger. The ghosts were beginning to get restless. I would have been grateful for their warning had it not been painful to the point of debilitating.

"They're getting closer." I whispered to Arthur.

"Yes," Arthur pointed toward a small clearing that could barely be saw in the faint blue-orange glow of the sunset, "They here. Get inside, child. There are too many."

"No," I argued and pointed to the same clearing, "look, they aren't all Strigoi. Some of them are human."

"That's.." Arthur narrowed his eyes as he saw the unsure steps of a human next to that of the fast and swift Strigoi. "You're right. Follow me."

I looked up to the roof of the house where a Strigoi could easily jump. Arthur's expression mirrored my own. There was no way to escape. The road was too bad to travel at anything faster than a crawl. Sunrise was another twelve hours away. We were outnumbered. As he picked up his radio to call in, I followed him quietly back inside the house where we met with the other guardians.

My eyes landed on Dimtri as all five of us stood around the table. He had a grim look on his face and even though he probably thought I didn't notice, he would glance at me every few seconds, as though he was making sure that I was alright. My head throbbed in pain and I wasn't sure how long I could hold up under the intense pressure that the darkness had me under.

"There are a group of seven or more Strigoi surrounding the house as we speak." Arthur said making the other two guardians look at him in fear. "But they are not alone. Humans are with them and they are working with them."

No one spoke as the realization settled in. The power went out leaving us in darkness for a moment before the red tinted emergency lights came on. I felt like I was being cast in the world's scariest porno. The tension was mounting with all of us and I could hear the shuffling of feet and whimpers from the children who were just above us in the panic room.

"The wards are broken." The words left my mouth as the dark fog flooded into the house, surrounding and covering me completely.

"This way," someone grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back, "we'll hold them off from here."

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. I always respond to messages and reviews.**


	14. Beyond Th Veil Part 2

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_I'd seen someone die once, but I'd never __seen__ death of this magnitude. After almost a minute, Dimitri finally removed his hand, but he stayed close behind me. I didn't want to look anymore, but I seemed unable to drag my eyes away from the scene before me. Bodies everywhere. Bodies and blood._

_Finally, I turned toward him._

_"It's daytime," I whispered. "Bad things __don't happen in the day."_

_I heard the desperation in my voice, a little girl's plea that someone would say this was all a bad dream._

_"Bad things can happen anytime," he told me. "And this didn't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple of nights ago."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Beyond The Veil Part 2**

The five of us stood in a loose circle back to back as we waited in silence. Dimitri's hand found mine and he squeezed it tightly. Things weren't looking good. The glass patio doors shattered, sending a spray of sharp glass into the room. A tall Strigoi stepped calmly into the room and looked at our small group with an evil smirk on his face that bared his sharp fangs. I stood steady and let go of Dimitri's hand. Without closing my eyes I focused on the dark fog that swam around us, invisible to anyone but me. The ice cold hands of the dead grabbed at mine and I squeezed them back gently not caring that I was accosted with such rage and anguish that I wanted to scream. We could use all the help we could get, if the ghosts were willing, I didn't care what it cost me later.

A stake flew through the air, it's silver hull gleaming like a red lightning bolt as it was headed toward the Strigoi. With a grunt the Strigoi batted it away with his hand so quickly that I had barely been able to see him move. He bared his teeth and growled out a low laugh that set my teeth on edge.

Two more slightly smaller male Strigoi walked up behind the first. And then they attacked. The ghosts shrieked out and I could feel their rage and pain. I was consumed in it. I broke free from the group, ignoring Dimitri's cry as I plunged my stake into the chest of one of the smaller ones. I had missed the heart and he threw me back into the wall. I hit it with a thud that slightly dazed me, but I got back up on my feet and leapt at him again. This time I didn't miss and I didn't need the help of the ghosts to distract him. The stake buried deep as the monster in front of me shrieked and clawed at me. It went still with a look of shock plastered on it's face. I jumped to my feet and dove back into the fight with wild abandon. The Strigoi kept coming, there were definitely a lot more in their group than anyone had anticipated. There was a small Strigoi woman creeping closer to Dimitri as he fought the largest one.

"Hey, bitch!" I growled at her to get her attention. "Come get some!"

It worked, she bared her fangs and jumped into the air, the ghosts batted at her, making her eyes widen in confusion as she couldn't see the source. Her distraction gave me the opportunity to get close enough to swipe at her with my stake. The sharp silver cylinder cut a gaping gash into her side and she screamed in pain and anger. Her nails cut straight through the thick denim jeans I was wearing and the top layer of my skin. I pushed the stake into her chest as I pinned her to the floor and she yelled out in pain as I used both hands to force it in. The fight with her had somehow taken me into the dining room. The sounds of fierce fighting could be heard from the other room.

A floorboard creaked behind me and I spun around in a crouch, ready to defend myself, but to my utmost surprise and horror, it wasn't a Strigoi. It was one of the Moroi woman that we were guarding. She had come out of the panic room for some stupid ass reason and had walked right into the center of danger. When she saw me, she covered her hand with her mouth and let out an ear piercing shriek. My teeth ground together in aggravation, she had just given away our position and there were at least two or more Strigoi outside. I searched the ceiling for some kind of latch to get her back up there, but I couldn't find it.

"Where is the room?" I asked her, quietly as I could, and grabbed her wrist as I pulled her into the hallway. "Why did you leave?"

"We could hear them on the roof." She cried out in fear. "We're all going to die."

"Take me there." I ordered her fiercely.

The other guardians would be too busy with the fight down here to be able to make it up there in time, but I was free to help. She shook as she went to the pantry where she walked in and pulled the cord to reveal a small wooden step ladder that descended from the ceiling. I let her go first just in case we had been followed, but all was quiet in the kitchen when I pulled the attic door up behind me. The Moroi sat clustered together, children in the middle, with their backs to the solid roof. The woman was right, I could hear the heavy footsteps on the shingles above our heads. If they heard us in here, with their strength, it wouldn't take a second to break through the roof. And that is exactly what happened.

A footstep sounded loudly over the heads of the Moroi and the woman who I had led back into the attic cried out in fear. The footsteps grew louder, two sets, one of them weighed far less than the other. A horrible thought went through my mind at that moment because I would regret it later. That thought was that I shouldn't have brought the stupid woman back to safety because she had just jeopardized everyone that the guardians were fighting so hard to protect. The skylight imploded with the sheer force of the Strigoi's punch, and I quietly leapt to my feet as I gestured for the Moroi families to get behind me. Before all of them could get out of the way a small Strigoi jumped down into the attic. He had to have been in his mid-teens. His face was covered in dirt and his clothes were tattered. He hadn't been well taken care of by his leader. There was such hunger and rage in his eyes that it almost made me feel bad for him. Almost.

I ducked the low hanging beams and made my way to the front of the group, placing myself between him and the Moroi, just like I had been trained. _They come first._ With my stake in hand and my feet ready, I waited for him to move. The ghosts surrounded him spinning around him like a whirlpool, leaving him yelling and batting away at the air. My feet were quick and sure as I rushed forward and leapt into the air to land heavily on top of him. I ducked as his hand swung out at me and cringed as I was kicked in the stomach. I scratched and stabbed at him with the stake until he moved his arms and grabbed me by the throat squeezing the air out of me. I could hear the Moroi screaming and yelling behind me as I put a last burst of strength into plunging the stake into the heart of the Strigoi. His grip loosed and his arms fell limply to his sides. He looked like a marionette doll as he laid slouched lifeless against the wall.

"Leanne!" One of the men screamed. "He took Leanne!"

"Where?" My voice was raw and gritty.

The man pointed to the skylight above me. How had it taken her without me noticing? The fight was still going downstairs and I knew that I would have no back up.

"I'm going to get her." I said in determination as I saw how fearful they looked. "If any of you have specialized, I suggest you use your magic to protect yourselves. I'll be back as soon as I can."

I hauled myself up and out of the broken skylight, trying to avoid the sharp glass. When I got onto the roof, I could see the Strigoi, a much larger one, pulling Leanne toward the edge. My voice caught in my throat, I wanted to yell and scream for help, but no sound came out. And then he jumped, taking Leanne with him. I ran to the edge of the roof and didn't hesitate to jump. The snow was soft but still my feet burned at the impact and I had to take a moment to balance myself. The Strigoi had heard my landing and spun around to face me while Leanne struggled feebly in his iron grip.

The sound of the vertebrae in Leanne's neck snapping would haunt me for years. The Strigoi laughed as he tossed her body to the side without care. My rage bathed the world in red as I ran toward the Strigoi as fast as I could. He smirked and just batted me to the ground when I was within arms length.

I hit the ground and the air left my lungs. I gave a frightened whimper and watched as the Strigoi smiled showing off his fangs as he pounced on me. He was far too fast. He hit me with the force of a truck. And I used it to my advantaged by placing the stake between us just as he was going to land. I pushed his dead corpse off of myself and stood up and jerked my stake from his chest. And then I turned around and looked for the next monster that wanted a piece of me.

Arthur was out in the yard fighting a Strigoi and another was walking toward him. The rest was a blur of movement screams and blood. The darkness embraced me and I let it in. There was no use in fighting it if the darkness was helping me. I didn't hear Dimitri when he yelled out my name. Nor did I hear Arthur's warning. My feet spun around as quickly as I could and I buried my stake into the temple of a young female Strigoi. Her body twitched as she stood in shock for a brief second before I pulled the stake out and she fell limply into the snow. I spun back around and football tackled the back of a Strigoi that had been sneaking up on Arthur. My stake shattered the back of his rib cage as I dug around until I pierced the heart. Even though he laid still, I rolled him over and plunged the stake into the front of his chest. Just to be sure.

"Rose!" Arthur's voice sounded like a mere whisper.

My head pounded fiercely behind my eyes and my vision was beginning to blur as I stood up and spun around searching for another Strigoi. My chest heaved as I tried to draw in breath. My hands shook as I gripped my stake so hard that I thought it would crumble in my hand. The rage was leaving me slowly, and leaving with it was the adrenaline. My eyes raked the landscape and all I saw were bodies everywhere. Tall, short, men women, children. Face down on white carpet. Blood pooled around them with their wide unseeing and fearful eyes staring at me.

"NO!" I screamed out in rage as I buried my hands in my hair and fell to my knees.

"They're all dead." I gasped out. "I failed. I fucking failed again."

"Rose!" Arthur's voice cut through the haze.

Arthur stood in front of me at least ten feet away as my stomach rolled and I heaved, but nothing came up. Pain both physical and emotional washed over me and the stake rolled from my hand as I fell over on my side into the cold snow trying to escape it. Thick swirl clouds of darkness covered me like a heavy blanket and I lost myself in it until there was nothing left to lose.

Strong warm arms lifted me out of my icy bed and to my shaky feet. I didn't have the strength or the will to beg him to put me back. My eyes burned fiercely as I blinked back the tears that I wouldn't let myself shed. Arthur held me up as he led me through the broken patio door. The house was in shambles. Broken glass and furniture littered every inch of walking space. Bodies laid haphazardly on the floor where they had fallen. I averted my eyes and stared straight ahead. I didn't want to know if they were friend or foe. I feared the answer would be more than I could bear.

And then I saw him. He was walking out of the kitchen with the little girl in his arms. She was playing with his hair and he had a sad smile on his face. Our eyes met and he gently handed her back to one of the Moroi women. I turned around and ran out of the room and back into the cold dark night. I ran from body to body and yet there were no Moroi, no children, only Strigoi. Relief overwhelmed me. A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. Until I reached her, the one I had failed to protect. She couldn't have been much older than thirty and she had curly blond hair that fanned out in the snow as she stared lifelessly into the night sky.

Quiet footsteps crunched on the ground behind me, but I didn't bother to turn around. His arms wrapped around me as I sat there quietly.

"We have to get back in, Roza." He said quietly. "We'll be leaving as soon as help arrives. And you're hurt."

"I fucked up." I said as I stood and turned away from Leanne's body. "I couldn't get to her in time."

Dimitri didn't say anything as he pulled me into a hug and held me there as my tears fell along with the snowflakes. We walked back into the house together as I leaned heavily on him. He had some scrapes and bruises, but he was otherwise unharmed. When it had been Arthur out there to pull me out of the haze, I had feared the worst. My fear was too big to even voice.

"Oh Miss Hathaway," An older Moroi woman ran up to me and pulled me into a hug, "I'm so sorry about Leanne, we didn't know she'd pull a stunt like that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I shook my head and looked at her in confusion, "what do you mean?"

"Well, setting you up, of course," the woman scoffed in disgust, "she said that if we could get you on the side of the room with the Strigoi that you could hold him off until we escaped. We tried to tell her that it wouldn't be right, but she was too scared to listen."

"It's a natural response, ma'am." I told her honestly. "I still wish I could've saved her."

The woman's eyes filled with tears and she went back to her husband. And I was left thinking about how hard I tried to save somebody who had basically offered me up as bait. Oh well, there were bigger problems to face. Dimitri took me by the hand and we walked into the dining room.

"Come have a seat, Rose," Arthur pulled out a chair for me, "I'll get you a drink."

He handed me a plastic cup that was half full of clear liquid. Vodka. I drained the cup in one gulp. "Pour another round?"

"Of course, child," Arthur poured me another cupful.

I drained it as quickly as I could to avoid tasting it for too long. "So when are we leaving?"

"Our backup should be here soon." Arthur said softly as he stared at me. "Do you realize how many you saved tonight, Rose?"

"Not enough." I put my head down.

"If it hadn't been for your warning, we would have been ambushed." Arthur looked around the destroyed room. "I must say that I am very proud to tell you that you have passed your Qualifier. Hell, child, if I had the authority I'd give you a stake of your own tonight. I haven't seen a novice as skilled as you since that tall one there."

He had pointed at Dimitri when he said that and to me it was the best compliment I could ever get. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

Headlights shone through the broken windows, breaking up the eerie red glow that we had all become accustomed to. Dimitri stood beside me as a group of guardians walked in. The Moroi were taken to the two huge black vans first. And then the two injured guardians were loaded up in the second van. Leanne had been the only casualty and it had been under my guard that she had been killed. I really didn't like that feeling. A group of humans, all bound and gagged were loaded into the third van. I could see the haze in their eyes and the scars on their necks and knew exactly why they were helping the Strigoi. It didn't make what they did right in any way, but they hadn't been helping just to help. They were addicted to the bite. And I pitied them.

Arthur turned to Dimitri and I as he was climbing into the van. "I'll be giving Lionel a call tonight. We were attacked by a total of eighteen Strigoi tonight and all eighteen are dead. The humans have all been captured unharmed. Rose, you will be getting six marks. Dimitri you have earned five. I can't tell you both how much I am grateful for your assistance."

"Take care, Art." Dimitri waved as I stood there gaping in shock.

Six. I had killed six Strigoi. The entire fight had barely lasted forty-five minutes. To me it had felt like days.

The area was swarming with guardians, and people I recognized as Alchemist, as we walked back to the Bronco, and I wondered what Sydney was up to at this time. For all I knew, she could have been one of them. Dimitri held the door open for me and I got in wondering why he was being so quiet. The tension in the vehicle was so thick that you couldn't have cut it with a sword if you tried. I picked at the wound on my leg just to distract myself from it. The muscles on his arms were so strained that I was sure that he was going to break the steering wheel if he gripped it any harder. We had pulled onto the main road before I couldn't handle the silence anymore.

"You can yell at me now." I whispered as I laid my forehead against the ice cold window to alleviate my headache.

"I'm not going to yell at you, Roza." Dimitri answered carefully as though weighing his words.

Suddenly, he stopped the truck and pulled to the side of the road. My eyes searched our surroundings and I found no sign of attack or anything out of the ordinary. But when I turned around in my seat to ask Dimitri what had made him stop. His eyes bored into mine freezing me in place. He moved so quickly that I almost flinched as he pulled me from my seat and onto his lap in one fluid motion. My hands buried into his silky hair and I gasped as his lips met mine. He kissed me so passionately that I couldn't contain the moan that came out. His hands carefully pulled the jacket from my arms and I winced as it pulled at the wound on my side. But in that moment I didn't care. I needed him.

"I thought you were dead." Dimitri stopped his kisses as he ran his thumbs along the sides of my jaw. "When I heard the scream I thought it was you. I thought that you were either hurt or dead while I was trapped in that room. And all I could think was that I could not lose you."

"I thought the same about you when it was Arthur who came to get me out of the snow." I stared down at him. "I think I freaked him out a little bit."

"No," Dimitri shook his head with a sad smile on his lips as his fingers graze the sides of my neck, "I tried to get you to calm down, but after twenty minutes Arthur came out to relieve me and said that he would try. That maybe he would have better luck. He was right."

"I'm sorry," I put my forehead against his, "I didn't even know you were there."

"You have a lot of explaining to do about your gift when we get back." Dimitri told me seriously as he kissed me again.

"It's a long drive, comrade." I smiled at him.

"And we will be taking our time to get there." Dimitri said as his fingers grazed the top of my jeans and burrowed underneath my shirt.

"I like you," I tilted my head to the side as he grinned at me, "you're tall."

**End Chapter 14**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know! I always reply.**


	15. Lover To Lover

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

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_I'd seen what Strigoi could do. Me running in impetuously and trying to save the day would have only resulted in a quick death. I was developing into a tough guardian, but I still had a lot to learn__—__and one seventeen-year-old girl couldn't have stood against six Strigoi._

_I opened my eyes. _

_"I'm sorry," I said, gaining control of myself. _

_The rage that had exploded inside me diffused. I didn't know where it had come from. __I __had a __short temper and often acted impulsively, but this had been intense and __ugly even for me. _

_Weird._

_"It's okay," said Dimitri. He reached over and placed his hand on mine for a few moments. Then he removed it and started the car. "It's been a long day. For all of us."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Lover To Lover**

We stayed parked on the roadside for close to an hour until we were both satisfied. There was no rush or hurry. We just held each other and comforted each other as best as we could. Doing the deed in a dark vehicle was a whole new experience for me, but I'm not complaining. It was still awesome. Part of me wished that it would never end, that Dimitri would suggest that we take off into the night together and not look back. But I knew that neither one of us could ever do that. We were guardians and we had people to protect. In my dream I had left Lissa for months and even though it was only a dream, I still hated myself for it. The guilt was still there. No, I could never abandon her again.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt this bad?" Dimitri hissed when he turned on the overhead light to help me find my bra. "You're bleeding out."

"I'm fine." I responded as I dug around in the back seat. "Aha! Found it!"

Dimitri gave me a long look as he took my torn shirt and put it on the gaping gash on my side. "We have to stop the bleeding. Or get you to the hospital. I'll call Alberta and find out what's nearby."

"Calm down. I'm okay." I grabbed his face and forced him to look at me. "I'd really love to get a shower before we get back to the Academy though. I still have bits of dead things in my hair."

We got back on the road soon after that. Dimitri stayed quiet as he focused on navigating the icy roads. He had called Alberta and although I couldn't hear her side of the conversation, my mood heightened considerably.

"There is an exit about twenty miles from here." Dimitri put the phone back in the cup holder. "There is a hotel with a twenty four hour pharmacy next to it. We will be stopping long enough to get cleaned up and rest."

"Nice." I bit my lip and bounced in my seat a little. "Can we get food? I'm starving."

Dimitri rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh. "Yes, Roza, we can get food."

We had eaten, showered, and dressed our wounds. Dimitri had even gone to the store to get us both clean clothes so that we didn't show up at the Academy looking like we walked out of a horror movie. Two hours later we lay in bed in a very warm hotel room. Dimitri was laying behind me with his arm holding me close. I knew I was supposed to be resting, but having him so close was like the greatest high. There was no way I could have slept even if I'd wanted to.

"I need to know, Roza," Dimitri rolled me over to face him, "You have to tell me how you knew the Strigoi were coming. I've tried for hours to figure it out but nothing makes sense. There is no way you could have known, unless there is something that you are hiding from me."

The look on his face spoke volumes to what he was thinking. "You think I have some kind of Strigoi contact? Do you think I led them there?"

"No," Dimitri responded quickly, putting a hand on my cheek and rubbing his thumb along my jaw line, "I know you would never do that. But there is so much about you that I do not know. From the first day I met you, you were a mystery to me. You are far too guarded with your thoughts and feelings. You look as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's not normal for a teenager."

"I'm not normal." I sighed tiredly. "I haven't been normal for years. Actually, I've just gotten weirder. Like scary weird."

"Tell me what happened. Tell me what started all of this." His eyes pleaded with me to tell the truth, but I was unsure of his motivation.

"Why do you want to know?" My voice was harsh and cold. I could feel the darkness creeping closer and had to take a deep breath to regain my control and block it out. "How can I trust that you won't think that I'm insane?"

"I care about you," He said vehemently, "And after what I've seen over the past few hours, I'm worried about you. And there is nothing that you can say that can make me think of you as insane."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." After a moment of carefully considering my words and figuring out just how much to tell him, I looked up at him and began my explanation. "You know all about how I'm bonded to Lissa and that she is a spirit user. You probably remember how Victor said that Lissa would eventually lose her mind. Well, he wasn't joking. Spirit is a great and wonderful gift. Lissa can heal just about anything, from plants to Moroi and probably even more if she tried. But every time she uses it, she loses a little of herself. From what I've felt through the bond, using spirit to Lissa is just about the most blissful thing she could ever experience. The high is so great that it's unmatched by anything else. So the compulsion to use it is even greater."

Dimitri's brow was furrowed as he listened quietly. "But every time she uses it the more the darkness starts to take over. The darkness is nothing but hate, rage and every other negative emotion you can think of. To feel it is like you've just touched something dead. It's an absence of everything good and happy. For Lissa she is stuck in a never ending cycle of either feeling the best she's ever felt or being on the verge of losing her mind. She'll start getting irrational and paranoid or depressed to the point of hurting herself. Then there are the days when she is just angry at anyone and everyone all at the same time. That's where I come in."

Dimitri leaned closer and put his arm around me. "How do you help Lissa with the darkness?"

"That's simple." I said with a sardonic laugh. "I just take it from her. I reach right through the bond and take it. All I have to do is look and I can see the dark blot of hatred and anger and I can pull it right out. Lissa is just fine after that. Funny part is that she rarely ever notices when I've helped. She just goes back to her normal fun loving self until the next time she does or doesn't use spirit. "

"What happens to the darkness then, Roza." Dimitri was starting to look really confused and I hope I wasn't fucking up this whole thing.

"I think that's why St. Vladamir called Anna, his guardian, shadow kissed. She took his darkness and kept it. The same way I do for Lissa. That darkness becomes part of me. It's my burden."

When I looked up at Dimitri, it was to see that his look of confusion had turned into one of extreme worry. "You mean you feel all of that hatred and pain? There is no way to get rid of it?"

"Yelling and screaming helps," I shrugged my shoulders, "Beating the hell out of somebody is even better. Bad part is that I used to have a short temper. Now the fuse doesn't even exist."

"Do you have to be near her to take it, or can you be anywhere?" His tone was one of curiosity and plotting.

Yeah, I could see him plotting something from a mile away. Too bad I was about to burst that bubble. "Distance doesn't matter one bit."

I left no room for questions. I would never leave Lissa, even if it would save my sanity. "But there a good points to it, well, I wouldn't really call it good. But there are some useful side effects. Strigoi are an abomination, they are dead yet haven't crossed beyond the Veil yet. When they're nearby, I start feeling very nauseous. Or at least thats what I've figured out. I had the same feeling the closer I got to the cabin when Natalie was there."

Dimitri stared intently into my eyes. "And tonight at the Badica's you sensed the Strigoi?"

"Yes," I put my head down and couldn't meet his eyes.

"There is more that you are not telling me." Dimitri gave me a look that said that he'd let it go for now.

I had to give the poor guy props, I sounded bat shit crazy and he still wasn't having me committed. "That's a story for another day."

"You can trust me, Roza." Dimitri kissed me lightly on the lips and my heart soared. "Whenever you are ready to tell me, I will listen."

* * *

We started traveling an hour later. Neither of us really felt comfortable enough in the strange place to sleep. And although he didn't think I was crazy, he was still trying to wrap his mind around what I had said. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the whole darkness thing, but it felt good to actually talk about it. I had only skimmed the surface of that topic with Adrian and there was no way in hell I could ever tell Lissa. She had enough on her mind without adding my problems to the stack. Maybe one day I would have the balls to explain everything to him. But today was not the right time for that.

Nervousness and fear that were not my own had my hands twitching and shaking. I checked on Lissa through the bond, only to find her in the assembly hall with the other students. Kirova was at the front of the room addressing the student body.

"_We've received reports that there was an attack at the Badica Estate earlier today." Kirova said solemnly. "It was not my idea to tell you this, but I have been told that it would be best to inform you before rumors and untruths are spread. Eighteen Strigoi and a group of their human helpers attacked the Estate, but their attack was mostly unsuccessful thanks to the actions of the guardians present there."_

_Lissa gripped Christian's hand tightly as they listened._

"_An attack of this magnitude is not only highly unlikely but is rarely ever seen. But still cautionary measures are being put into place. The wards here at St. Vladimir's will be going through repairs for the next few weeks. As such, we will be moving all students to a compound for their safety. There will be no classes during this time."_

_The chattering of students slowly drowned out her voice as everyone began cheering about the fact there would be no school._

_Kirova broke a wooden dowel from the podium and smacked it loudly against the marble top. The room went silent and Kirova smiled tightly. "That's better. Your instructors will be giving you a list of reading materials. This is NOT a vacation. Already one life was lost in the attack today and we are hoping to prevent more. Please have your things ready to leave by morning."_

_Lissa dragged Christian to the front of the room where Kirova was talking to Guardian Petrov. _

"_Headmistress Kirova," Lissa said as calmly as she could, "Rose hasn't returned to her room."_

"_Guardian Petrov would be better to fill you in, Miss Dragomir." Kirova nodded distractedly. "I have to prepare for our departure."_

_Kirova walked away quickly while looking over her shoulder, Lissa and Christian watched as she ran straight into Mia Rinaldi and the two toppled over onto the floor. Lissa's amusement floated through the bond and I couldn't help but laugh._

Dimitri's hand on my arm pulled me back to myself. "Rose! What's happened?"

"Kirova just busted her ass and took Mia with her." I said through my laughter.

Dimitri shook his head and sighed. We were pulling up to the Academy's driveway and I held on to his hand as tightly as I could without hurting him. I didn't want our time together to end. The fight at the Badica's aside, it had been a decent trip. We had barely been gone for twenty four hours. But it had felt like a lifetime. And it hadn't been long enough.

Dimitri turned to look at me with a sad smile. "You did good out there, Roza. Be proud of yourself."

I reached out and touched his cheek. "Don't forget about me when we get back."

He grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I could never forget you."

"One last song before we go back?" I waggled my eyebrows at him.

"If you'd like." Dimitri reached back to hand me the box of cassette tapes.

Okay, so the BeeGees hadn't been what I had picked, but apparently the tape was in the wrong case, so I went with it. Dimitri tried his best, I give him that much credit, but when I started belting out Stayin' Alive and rocking that song like a boss. He lost it. The sound of his laughter made my heart beat faster and I wanted nothing more than to let the moment last forever. The music was going so loud as Dimitri had tried to drown out of my high pitched out of tune singing, that the guard at the gate waved us through without questions as he stared wide eyed at me dancing around in the front seat.

"My ears are still ringing." Dimitri joked as we walked into the guardian offices.

"You know you loved it." I said as I walked faster and strutted to the tune as I hummed it.

"Miss Hathaway," Guardian Petrov walked out in front of me and I lurched back in surprise, "Guardian Belikov, follow me please."

I looked back at Dimitri and shrugged my shoulders as we followed her. It wasn't until I realized that we weren't headed to Lionel's small office that I started to feel the apprehension creeping in. We were headed to the ballroom and that really set my nerves on edge.

"I apologize for not letting you have some time before this, but we must leave in the morning." Alberta stopped at the doorway and placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're all very proud of you, Miss Hathaway. Don't think we are taking this moment lightly."

"Yes, ma'am." I said as she opened the doors.

The room had transformed once again. It was back to its bare and open state. There were chairs lining the edges of the room and each chair was full. Guardians and novices alike stood as Dimitri and I entered the room. They stood there in solemn silence as we were led by Alberta to the two chairs in the middle of the room. We sat down and then everyone else did. Lionel pulled his tray to the middle of the room and with him was a woman I had seen in my dream. Tamara. She had been mentored by Arthur and was there to investigate his death. I didn't understand why she was there, but when she carefully pulled my hair into a bun and then set to work on the molnija marks it set in. She had probably been called in to escort the students to the safe house.

Dimitri received his last mark and turned around to pat Lionel on the back. I watched as he went from guardian to guardian and each gave him either a handshake or quick hug. The man really needed to make some friends. Dimitri stood at the end of the line just as Tamara had finished tattooing my last mark. I stood quickly and turned to face her, ready for a handshake, but was unprepared when she pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered to me.

I pulled away and nodded to her as I saw her tear filled eyes. And then I made my way around the room, accepting hugs and handshakes from the guardians when I felt inadequate as just a novice. It went by in a haze until there was one face I couldn't ignore. My mother stood there with tears in her eyes as she pulled me into a hug and held me tightly.

"You need to keep yourself out of these situations, Rosemarie." She whispered with a strained voice. "You're going to send me to an early grave if you keep this up."

"Not a chance." I hugged her to me and then let go.

She nodded her head and smiled at me as I went on to the next guardian. Eddie, Mason and Meredith all hugged me, looking both impressed and a little jealous. I hoped they would live very long lives without ever having to see a Strigoi. By the time I got to Dimitri I was all hugged out and wanted a fucking kiss. But I held back and shook his hand while trying to contain my laughter just thinking about all the naughtiness we were getting up to less than six hours ago.

"It's time to go, Rose." My mother caught me by the elbow as I stumbled back in shock. "You're dead on your feet. I'll help you pack and get you something from the cafeteria. Or maybe I can get the ingredients to make some soup."

Dimitri covered his mouth as his shoulders shook with laughter while my mother pulled me away and out of the building. I would get him back for that soon. I swore I would. But as I walked through the courtyard, there was a face among the staring crowd that I couldn't comprehend. My chest felt tight and my breath caught in my throat. Because standing there beside Lissa, Christian and Dimitri. My Dimitri. Was Tasha Ozera.

**End Chapter Fifteen**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. I always reply.**

**I want to say a special thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited/followed this story. I never imagined it would be popular but in the past 12 days it is up to 100 reviews. I have chatted with some of the most awesome people and look forward to hearing from more. **

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**Thank you all so much! - WhiteWolf**


	16. Hurricane Drunk

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

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_"So, you know how everyone's afraid to have their kids come home for Christmas? Well, there's this huge ski lodge in Idaho that's exclusively used by royals and rich Moroi. The people who own it are opening it up for Academy students and their families—and actually any other Moroi who want to go. With everyone in one spot, they're going to have a ton of guardians to protect the place, so it'll be totally safe." _

_"You can't be serious," I said. We reached the gym and stepped inside out of the cold._

_Mason nodded eagerly. "It's true. The place is supposed to be amazing. "He gave me the grin that always made me smile in return. "We're going to live like royalty, Rose. At least for a week or so. We take off the day after Christmas."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Hurricane Drunk**

It had been hours since I last saw Tasha on the grounds. But for the life of me I couldn't freaking get over it. The water in the shower had been too cold and I had blamed Tasha. My best clothes were in the laundry and I blamed her. The feeling of suffocating and choking on my own blood as she held a smoking gun made me blame her. I hated her and I didn't have a reason to hate her yet. It was what irritated me the most. Lissa was enthralled with her. Christian adored her. Dimitri joked lightly with her because they were old friends. And I could see that he was free to be open with her, like he could not with me. Every time her face appeared I heard the harsh pop of the gun and Dimitri's voice saying: '_Love fades. Mine has.' _And I hated her even more.

"Are you okay, Rose?" My mother asked from the other side of the bathroom door. "You've been in there for an hour."

"I'll be right out." I said loudly as I pulled the bandage off of my side with a wince. "Just redressing wounds."

My mother opened the door, not caring that I was wearing nothing but a bra and panties and a terrified Christian Ozera was standing in the living room. He had apparently been talking to Lissa but when my mother opened the door to show me off, it was like a train wreck he couldn't take his eyes off of. But I couldn't blame him. The wound was ugly.

While Dimitri and I had been at the hotel, and he had left to get supplies from the pharmacy, I had the super smart idea to cauterize the huge gaping wound in my side using an emergency flare that I found in the back of the Bronco. The results were less than pretty. And it looked better than it felt. Let's just say that I was standing out on the cold pavement in a mostly abandoned parking lot, with my shirt pulled up and lit the flare.

_White hot pain flashed across my rib cage as I dragged the flaming flare across the wound. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air around me as I held the white-blue flame on the wound. Sparks of fire rained down on my bare legs but I didn't feel it over the sensation of my side being cooked._

"_What the hell?" He hissed in Russian. "Are you out of your mind, Roza?"_

"_I cleaned it first!" I held my hands up in surrender, one held the flare the other held a tiny bottle of vodka. "See, comrade?"_

"_Why on earth are you using a flare?" Dimitri growled at me._

"_The emergency kit didn't have any duct tape?" I shrugged as I held the flare out and tried not to catch my shoes on fire._

"_And how much of the vodka did you drink before you had this wonderful idea?" He took the still glowing flare from my hand, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it until it went out._

"_Not enough?" I winced as my side throbbed. _

"_You're drunk." Dimitri scoffed, looking at me in disbelief._

"_You're freaking hot." I rolled my eyes at him. "If we're going to stand around stating the obvious."_

_Dimitri shook his head, his dark hair whipping around his face as sighed dejectedly. "Teenagers."_

"_Hold up there," I said quickly in response moving to stand a few feet in front of him, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being young. Hell, I'm young and I'm mother fucking perfect."_

It was healing quickly, but the scar wasn't going to fade anytime soon. Lissa looked like she wanted to help, but when she caught Christian staring she slapped him on the back of the head and pulled him out of the room. I could feel the resignation through the bond. She knew I wouldn't let her heal me. Part of me wanted to let her, if it would ease her pain, but it would only make it worse when that feeling wore off. We both knew this, and we accepted it.

"This should have been treated by a doctor." My mother said as she placed a new bandage over the still healing wound.

"I'm fine." I said as I pulled a shirt over my head. "It just looks bad."

"Sure." My mother shook her head as she walked out and shut the door. "We have to leave in thirty. You better be ready."

"Hey, mom?" I asked before she could escape. "Any chance I could get my dad's phone number from you?"

My question caught her by surprise and I could see her putting her guard back up. "I'll have to see if his number still works."

She went to shut the door but I grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry. But this whole close call with death thing just made me wish I had talked to him at least once. You don't have to talk to him."

She pursed her lips as she leaned on the doorframe. "I'll try my best, Rose."

"Thanks, mom." I said as she shut the door.

* * *

Two and a half hours later I was walking through the doors of the ski lodge, Lissa and Dimitri were to my right and Christian and Tasha were far off to my left. My mother stood a few feet in front of me. Tasha, like it or not, had decided to sit beside Dimitri for the entire flight. Which left me sitting with Christian and Lissa and their whole lovebird crap. It was cute and all, but after listening to them for two hours during the flight, I felt like I had been tortured. Tasha and Dimitri looked cozier than ever as she patted his arm and smiled up at him. I wanted to vomit. And then strangle her. Maybe kick her a few times. We still hadn't been introduced to each other, as every time she came near me I had found somewhere better to be. Or I put my ear buds in and acted like I didn't hear her. I had even contemplated trying to push her out of the plane. But she didn't leave her seat the entire flight.

But then I saw him, my salvation, standing at the bar talking to a tall blonde woman and I just couldn't resist. "Yo, Adrian!"

He turned at the sound of his name and when he spotted me in the crowd it was like a goofy romantic movie. "Rosie!"

He ran toward me and I toward him. As soon as I was in reach I jumped into his arms and hugged him hard as he spun me around laughing.

Lissa's jaw hit the floor. My mother looked like she was about to have a heart attack. Christian smiled and rolled his eyes. Dimitri's eyes narrowed in suspicion and maybe a little jealousy. Fucking Tasha just grinned as she pulled Dimitri to the stairs.

"Holy hell, Adrian!" I slapped his arm as he set me down. "I've missed you."

"You too, little dhampir." Adrian smiled at me as he pulled me to sit next to him at the bar. "Two mojito's over here, good sir!" He shouted at the bartender.

"Just like Cancun!" I laughed as I remembered the dreamscape where we had sat back sipping mojitos while we played Candyland together.

"Oh that was a great night." Adrian said wistfully as he passed me my drink.

I looked back to see that every one of my traveling companions had disappeared from view. "Did you hear about the attack?"

"Of course, you're quite the celebrity, darling." Adrian looked back up at the bartender. "A few extra shots of tequila in hers. This is the guardian that protected the Badicas."

I pinched his leg and gave him a ferocious look. "I don't give a fuck about my reputation! It's all playing out the same way. That's what's bothering me. I can't be there to prevent everything. And I can't tell anybody other than you without being sent to the nut house."

"Chill, Rose," Adrian smiled at me, "Unless there's another attack going down tonight, you can just take some time to relax and enjoy yourself."

"I'm going to need more alcohol." I banged my head on the countertop. "And as far as I know, there shouldn't be another one for a week or so. At the Drozdov Estate."

The bartender set down two mojitos and six shots of tequila in front of us. "Nice work out there, m'lady."

"Thanks," I said as I picked up a shot. "Here's to not getting shot by she-bitch again."

"Wait," Adrian put a hand on my arm, "She's here? The woman who shot you in your dream is here in this building and you haven't killed her yet?"

"Unfortunately, no." I grimaced as I sniffed the stout drink. "She's currently upstairs somewhere with the man I love."

"Tall, Russian, so quiet that he's scary?" Adrian asked with a knowing look.

"That'd be him." I drained two shots in quick succession. "How'd you figure that out?

"Darling, are you sure about him?" Adrian asked, concern lacing his tone. "He's not only your instructor, he is Lissa's guardian. And he's scary."

The laugh escaped as I was downing my third shot and tequila sprayed out of my nose. "He's not that scary. And we have things on the down low, so please keep it to yourself. Also, what do I do about psycho bitch?"

"Hell, darling, if I knew that, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you about it." Adrian leaned a little closer to me. "And you need to talk to Lissa about the scary Russian, she's been worried about you lately. If you're sure about the Drozdov's I know the perfect person to call to help out with a pre-warning. "

"Please do," I said seriously, "This whole thing is driving me crazy. Why is Lissa worried about me?"

"She just said that she hasn't seen much of you lately and that she misses you." Adrian took another shot.

"I'll talk to her." I said, draining the last of my mojito. "But when have _you_ talked to Lissa?"

"We've been teaching each other spirit tricks over the dreamernet." Adrian waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Hopefully she is getting to dress herself." I looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes." Adrian slapped his hand onto his face. "Does she usually wear footy pajamas?"

Loud laughter exploded from me and people turned around to stare. "Yes!"

"The people behind us think we're a couple." Adrian whispered while looking over his shoulder.

"Do they now?" I asked coyly as I leaned slowly towards Adrian and put my hand on his knee. His eyes widened considerably. "Give momma some sugar."

I grabbed his face and kissed his forehead while he tried to push me back. "Eck, Rose, that's gross!"

"Still nothing?" I rolled my eyes as he shook his head fiercely. "What about the tall leggy blonde that you were talking to earlier? She kind of looked like your Auntie. You gonna go for that?"

"No," Adrian shook his head as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Not after you just pointed that out. That's a definite no."

"So sorry." I said unapologetically.

"Alright," Adrian picked up a shot and downed it. "To my favorite dhampir, who is bat shit crazy but I love her anyway. Like a sister." He added loudly and smiled at one of the young waitresses who blushed and looked away quickly.

"Aw, how cute." I said mockingly as I downed another three shots and started in on the mojito. "Now order some more shots."

And so he did. The rest of the night was spent in laughter and, well, confusion, as neither of us were sober enough to find our own rooms and ended up stumbling through the hotel three times before we found the right door. Finally, I passed out on the edge of Adrian's bed after having to carry him in there where we both collapsed on the bed in a drunken haze.

The next morning, as soon as the light of day hit the heavily curtained windows, I stumbled around trying to get my bearings. My head pounded and my mouth felt dry and nasty. Adrian was snoring loudly as I pulled off his shoes and covered him up. I brushed the hair off of his forehead and then walked quietly out of the room.

The lodge was silent as everyone was asleep and warm in their beds as I made my way outside. I was still in the clothes I had traveled in and my hair was probably a wreck, but I needed some fresh air. The snow was deep and fluffy looking. It was pure and untouched, not a single footstep was anywhere with sight and I couldn't resist. I fell backwards in the snow and let the soft powder catch me. I put an arm over my eyes to shield them from the overly bright sun as I soaked in the wonderful freezing feeling that eased both my headache and my heartache.

My nerves had been frayed over the past few days, between the attack at the Badica's and the appearance of Tasha. There was almost a year of history in that dream that I had to deal with on a daily basis and I didn't know how much longer I could hold it together without losing my mind.

"I thought I'd find you out here." Dimitri's voice cut through the haze I was trapped in. "You didn't return to your room last night."

"Nope," I didn't move and didn't look up. "What are you doing out here, comrade?"

"You're late for training." Dimitri said in a stern tone.

"I didn't know we'd be training while here." I sat up in the snow and grabbed two fistfuls of the powder. "And I certainly wasn't informed that we'd be training at three in the afternoon."

"You've been avoiding me." Dimitri said as he crouched down in front of me. "Ever since we returned to the Academy you haven't said a word to me."

"You've been busy." I looked away, staring at the slopes. "I didn't want to intrude."

"I know that's not the problem." Dimitri held out a hand for me. "There is a small exercise room here. Let's get in out of the cold. Your clothes are soaked."

"Aye, aye, comrade." I grabbed his hand with my snow covered one. "It is a bit nippy out here."

When we arrived in the small gym, Dimitri's eyes searched the room, and when he found it empty, he turned around and started stalking toward me. He took off his duster and threw it over a weight bench as I backed up, not knowing what to think. Honestly, my mind flashed back to the time he was Strigoi and I couldn't help but gasp.

Dimitri stopped and knelt down in front of me. "You have no reason to fear me, Roza."

"I'm not afraid," I shook my head and slowly looked up at him as I pounced, making him fall backward with me landing on top straddling him, "it's called a feint."

Dimitri's hands grasped my arms. "Not bad."

"I caught you off guard." I said with a smug smirk. "Don't ever take me for some damsel in distress."

"Not you," Dimitri said lowly as he leaned up on his elbows, "And your clothes are soaked."

"Oops." I laughed as I jumped up quickly and held an arm out to help him up.

Dimitri grabbed my hand and pulled me, hard, until I was flying into the air. I landed on one knee and looked up at him and shook my head. "It's on."

His smile made my heart race as I grabbed a towel from the rack and threw it at him, while he easily batted it to the side, I had run forward and then slid on the ground between his legs and turned to kick him in the back of the knee. The kick wasn't hard enough to hurt him, but he still stumbled, giving me the opportunity to jump on his back and kiss his cheek.

"Got ya." I laughed.

Dimitri reached an arm around to grab me and I dropped to the floor and backed away before he could grab hold of me. His smile widened and I waited for him to retaliate, but all he did was walk closer, until he had me pinned in the corner. I looked from side to side, looking for an escape route, but there was none. Dimitri was within arms length and before I could bat an eye, he had picked me up and placed my back to the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist and leaned in toward him. His stare froze me in place as he leaned forward and kissed me hard. My hands dug under the soft cotton of his shirt as I let them roam over the planes of his chest and stomach.

"Not here." Dimitri shook his head at me. "Meet me in my room in twenty minutes. It's on the second floor. Fifth door on the right."

Dimitri walked out the door and I counted to ten before I followed and made sure to go in the opposite direction. Barely two minutes had passed by the time I made it back to mine and Lissa's room. When I got to the door, there was a small brown parcel lying at the foot of the door and I picked it up to see that it had my name on it. My fingernails cut through the brown tape easily and I opened the box to see a very nice cell phone underneath the paper. Knowing that I already had Adrian's phone, I wondered who would send me one.

I dialed the only number saved in the contacts and almost dropped the phone when I heard the voice on the other line.

"Mazur." My father growled out.

"It's, uh, Rose Hathaway." I said hesitantly. "You sent me a phone."

**End Chapter Sixteen**

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**Thoughts, Comments? Let me know. **

**Thanks for reading! Things start picking up next chapter.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her help and support! :Hands over the cookies:**


	17. Day N Nite

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

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_"What was __that __about?" she asked._

_"What was what about?" I asked innocently._

_"Rose," she said meaningfully. It was hard to play dumb when your friend knew you could read her mind. I knew exactly what she was talking about. "You being a bitch to Tasha."_

_"I wasn't that much of a bitch."_

_"You were rude," she exclaimed, stepping out of the way of a bunch of_

_Moroi children who came tearing through the lobby. They were bundled up in_

_parkas, and a weary-looking Moroi ski instructor followed them._

_I put my hands on my hips. "Look, I'm just grumpy, okay? Didn't get much sleep. Besides, I'm not like you. I don't have to be polite all the time."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds Of Time**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Day N Nite**

The door to the room creaked loudly as I walked in with the phone held to my ear. My father hadn't said a word since I told him my name, and I couldn't help but smile as I made him through my silence. Quiet as a mouse, I snuck into the bathroom and shut the door. The mirror taunted me with my horrid appearance. I grabbed my toothbrush and had a mouthful of burning bubbles when my father finally decided to speak.

"Your mother said that you wanted to speak to me." Abe said in a curt tone. "The phone is yours to use for whatever you like, but my number is never to be given out. Do you understand?"

"Yup," I spat into the sink, "So what are you up to, pops? Or should I call you 'daddy? No, never mind, that just sounds wrong. Too fluffy."

"I agree. It doesn't matter what you choose to call me." Abe sounded amused. "I've heard plenty of stories and rumors about you, little one."

"Well I've heard next to nothing about you." I responded dryly. "So tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living? Do you have any hobbies?"

Abe laughed heartily. "I don't think it'd be wise to go into what I do. Why don't you tell me why your mother has been so frantic lately."

"Oh, you know," I said dismissively, "ran away from school. Got captured. Another student almost succeeded in killing me. Then I had to kill her after she turned Strigoi."

"Death threats and killing." I could almost hear a sense of pride in his voice. "Seven Strigoi kills before you've even graduated. You must be my daughter."

"Don't sound too proud, old man. It wasn't like it was easy," I changed my tone. "I just didn't have any other choice."

There was someone screaming in the background, and I had to hide the phone under a towel so Lissa wouldn't hear it. "Rose, I'm afraid I have to cut our conversation short."

"Yeah, you need to gag whoever that is." I rolled my eyes as I brushed my hair. "Have fun doing whatever it is that you're doing. Call me back when you have time to talk, okay?"

"I will." He said and then hung up, leaving me standing there staring at the phone in disappointment.

"Shit!" I yelped when the time popped up on the screen.

I had less than ten minutes to get dressed and sneak down to Dimitri's room. I opened the door and tip toed to where my bag sat and dug through it. My hands grabbed the first clothes they came across in the dark room. My wet clothes hit the floor with a soggy thump. Dressed and more than ready, I left the room and locked the door behind me. The hallways were empty as I made my way to the second floor. Dimitri's door was open and I walked in without invitation.

"Sorry I'm a couple minutes late." I scrubbed my face with my palm. "Got stuck on the phone with a Russian mob boss."

Dimitri looked up from his book, probably hoping that I was just joking. "Mob boss?"

"Yeah," I flopped down on the bed beside him and put my hand on his chest, "so where were we?"

"You were going to explain why you've been avoiding me." Dimitri put his book on the bedside table and turned toward me.

My playful mood evaporated and all that was left was the urge to flee the room. "I haven't been avoiding you. Tasha just gives me the creeps."

"Tasha Ozera?" Dimitri let out a small laugh. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous?"

"Jealous!" My eyes widened as I stared at him in disbelief. "Far from it. There is no reason why I'd ever be jealous of _her_."

My tone must have gotten my point across because Dimitri's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Do you have any reason to justify feeling that way?"

Yes, she shot me in the fucking heart. "Nope, I just want to bash her face in every time I see her. Something feels off when she's around and I don't like it."

"And it has nothing to do with her friendship with me?" Dimitri clarified while he studied my face.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not too fond over how handsy she is with you." I admitted quickly.

"You've spent plenty of time with Ivashkov and I have not said a word." Dimitri said lowly.

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Adrian? Please, he's like a goofy older brother."

"Really?" He looked like he believed me. "And he feels the same way about you?"

"Yes," I smiled at him. "He actually tried to warn me about you last night. Said that you were scary."

The corner of his lips twitched before he became suddenly serious. "You told him?"

"No, he just figured it out." I said honestly. "He's pretty good about reading people. Don't worry, he's not going to tell anybody."

"I don't know what to tell you about Tasha." He shook his head.

Dimitri's hair had come free from its tie, a piece of it was hanging to the side of his face and I ran my fingers through it. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. As long as I keep my distance, she'll be safe. But if she tries anything shady, I'm whooping that ass."

"She's a good person, Rose." Dimitri shook his head as he pulled me closer to him. "But if you feel that strongly about her, I won't bring it up again."

"So where did we leave off earlier?" Dimitri asked with a grin as he leaned down to kiss me, making me forget everything else.

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Hours later I walked on shaky legs back to my room. The concept of sleep was sounding almost as good as a nice long shower, maybe better. But when I got back to the third floor, I found that I would get neither. Lissa's distress was pouring through the bond and when I checked in on her, it was to find her in the middle of a nightmare. This one starred Victor, as he tortured Christian, and Lissa's imagination was exaggerating the gruesomeness of that day.

I ran the last few feet to our room and flung open the door. Without pausing to shut it, I took off towards the bed where Lissa was tossing and turning fitfully. She was still struggling as I pulled her into a hug and held her tightly while trying to wake her up. Through the bond I searched out and found the dark blot of negativity and quickly pulled it to myself. Lissa's sobs subsided and she slowly came back to reality.

She pulled herself away and looked up at me with tear filled eyes. "You saw, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I sat there on the edge of the bed tugging at the sleeve of my shirt, "you okay?"

"I'll be alright." She said tiredly. "Where have you been? I waited up for you."

"Sorry," I winced, "I was with Adrian for most of the night and ended up crashing in his room."

Lissa gave me a long look. "But Adrian said that you two were just friends."

"We are just friends, two friends that got too shitfaced to find their own rooms. I promise that we stayed fully clothed the entire time." I held up my hand and nodded seriously.

Lissa smiled and shook her head. "I've missed you, Rose."

"I've missed you, too." I elbowed her in the side playfully. "How about you tell flamer to leave you alone tonight, and you and I can just hang here and chill like old times."

"Really?" Lissa looked shocked. "You'd want to do that."

"Hells yeah," I wrapped my arm around her neck and roughed up her hair.

That night, just as promised, Lissa and I stayed in our room, watching movies and eating popcorn. I was trying to get up the nerve to talk to her about Dimitri, but every time I'd go to say it, the words stuck in my mouth. That is until we were watching one of those comic book movie adaptations, and Lissa started going on and on over the hot hammer toting guy that I blurted it out, surprising even myself.

"I'm secretly dating Dimitri." I slapped a hand over my mouth and looked away.

Lissa gave a little squeak of surprise. "I knew it! I win the bet! Christian so owes me twenty dollars!"

"Say what now?" I looked at her with both brows furrowed.

"That night after that scum bag and his friends attacked you, Christian and I saw you and Dimitri cuddled up on the couch together. I told him that there was something between you two. But he said that you were probably just scared and didn't want to be alone."

"You're not angry?" I asked quietly.

"No, Rose," she grabbed my hand and squeezed it, "you've seemed happier. Since we've been back at the Academy, you've just looked lost. But when he's around, you look happy. I'm thrilled for you."

"I'm sorry," I said honestly, "I've wanted to tell you for so long."

"But you've told me now." Lissa smiled at me. "Now tell me everything. I want details."

And so we talked for a couple more hours about my secret relationship with Dimitri. It felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders that there was one less thing I was hiding from my best friend. My mother showed up at our door an hour into us watching a scary movie, saying that her roommate was snoring and asked if she could crash on our couch. Neither Lissa or I had a problem with it and both scooted over so she could sit between us. By the end of the thriller, Lissa and I were jumping at any sound that we heard.

"You girls," my mother shook her head, "there's nothing to be frightened of here."

The words had barely left her mouth when something hit the balcony door and my mother jumped a foot in the air and let out a gasp. Lissa and I both looked at each other in shock and then at my mother who stood stock still in the middle of the room, then Lissa and I both burst out laughing.

"Your face!" I gasped out as I contorted my face to mimic the way Janine's had looked.

"What on earth was that?" My mother growled as she opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the dark balcony.

Seconds later she was hit full in the face by a massive snowball. "Those little shits!"

Lissa and I both fell over holding our sides as my mom pulled on her coat and boots. "They will rue the day they messed with me."

Taking it as our cue, Lissa and I put on our coats and boots and chased my mother out of the lodge and into the snow covered grounds. Janine still had melted snow in her hair as she quietly approached one of the guys that had been throwing snowballs. She reached down and picked up a handful of snow and dropped it onto the guys head. He spun around in shock, shaking his hair out.

"Christian!" Lissa gasped. "How could you!"

"I thought it was Rose!" He yelped as he took in my mother's icy hair and even icier look.

"Really, now?" I stalked up to him. "So you wanted to hit me with a snowball? Me? Oh, it's on Sparky."

It was an all out war between the four of us. My mother showed off her stealth and speed as she snuck up on us before we realized it. I admired her even more as I saw something that I hadn't even in my dream. She was laughing and playing around without having her guard up. It was really something I would never forget. At one point during the snowball fight, I looked up to see a very tall shadow standing in front of the huge bay windows. The long duster gave away said shadows owner. But what surprised me was that standing next to him, watching us, was a slightly shorter person who was smoking a cigarette. I shook my head and went back to the fight as I was pelted in the back again by Lissa.

Half an hour later my mother stopped moving and pressed a hand to her earpiece, and then grabbed my arm. "Rose, there's an emergency! Gather every free guardian you can find and have them meet me in the conference room. Hurry." She was in Guardian Hathaway mode and I wasn't going to argue with her.

I turned around and ran back into the lodge and through the hallways, telling every guardian and novice I came across where to meet and to tell anyone they could come across. The Drozdov attack didn't happen for another week or two in my dream, but considering how much I had changed, I didn't want to take any chances with innocent lives at stake. The entire lodge had been searched and still there was no sign of Dimitri. Adrian said that he had went back inside not long after I had spotted them on the balcony, but I had yet to find him. I was on the last and fourth floor when I heard something that froze me in my tracks. Tasha's low sultry voice carried halfway down the hallway. It sounded like she was directing a low budget porno movie and I feared what I'd find.

"Now take off your shirt," Tasha commanded, "Get on the bed."

The door was cracked open, so I had to resort to knocking on the door frame to avoid seeing any of Ozera's bits. But there was no way to avoid not seeing _him_ lying there.

"Eh hum…" I cleared my throat and tried and failed to shield my eyes, "Guardian Belikov, you're needed immediately. Something has come up."

"Go see what she wants." Tasha whispered the order to him.

"I'll be right out." Dimitri replied quickly.

I shut the door and waited impatiently in the hallway, mentally berating my stupid right instincts. Hell, Dimitri was a good lucking single guy with a reputation that most guardians never achieved. Who the hell wouldn't want him by their side? But the thought of that stupid bitch freaking compelling him to sleep with her was beyond sickening. There was no way to prove it though. Trying to report her would be useless. No one would believe my word over hers. My stomach turned at the thought of the two of them together.

Dimitri exited the room a few seconds later with Tasha close on his heels. I had to restrain myself from taking a swing at the smug looking bitch. Dimitri must have sensed my dilemma, because he quickly fell into step behind me, putting himself between Tasha and I. Which I'm not going to say was a wise choice. I kind of wanted to take a swing at him too. But there were more important things to think about.

We walked in tense silence to my mother's makeshift war base and quickly filed into our assigned areas. I was with the other novices, while Dimitri, of course was with the other guardians at the front row. It was a drastic change from my dream where only guardians had been allowed to attend. But considering the commotion that we must have stirred up, it was no wonder that there were over two hundred people in the room. Straight across from us novices, sat the Moroi who had a say in whatever plans the guardians made. A few more stragglers darted into the room and took their places before my mother began her speech.

"We've received information that leads us to believe that the Strigoi are planning another massive attack."

The Moroi began whispering furiously and all of the guardians and students seemed to lean forward at once in rapt attention. I sat up straight in my chair, carefully surveying the crowd to judge their reactions.

"How did you come about this information?" A rather old and scruffy looking Moroi man asked loudly.

"Where is the attack to be?" Another royal exclaimed in panic.

"Are we safe here?" A young woman looked around in fright.

"Please," Janine said firmly, "bear with me until I can give you all the details. Questions can be asked after we've done everything in our power to prevent this attack from becoming something worse."

The Moroi looked outraged at basically being told to shut the hell up, but they bit their tongues and sat back down.

"An acquaintance of mine has been tracking the Strigoi's feeding pattern in North America. We have reason to believe that they are part of the same group that attacked the Badica Estate this past fall. They are now on the path to Northern California where another group of Moroi are living."

Janine took a deep breath and then continued with a desperate yet determined air. "The Drozdov's have been notified and are fortifying their defenses as we speak, but as they only have five guardians on hand and fourteen Moroi to protect, their chances are not looking good. The Drozdov Guardians were waiting for secure transport to arrive when I last spoke to them, but something has happened and I can no longer reach them."

I looked across the room to where Mia and Aaron sat. Mia was looking from my mother to the Guardians she spoke to with the utmost regard. Aaron was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, if the twitching limbs and lip chewing were anything to go by. Though, how could I blame either of them. Had someone I cared for been on the verge of being attacked by monsters, I highly doubt I'd have the composure to sit still and wait patiently for someone to form a rescue plan.

"As the closest group of able Guardians, I would like to ask for any that are willing to volunteer. We have no idea how many there are, but I've been told to expect at least twenty or more Strigoi to show up after nightfall. It is a two hour flight to the airport nearest their estate and another three hours by car. The sun has just started to rise so time is not a luxury we have. I will be waiting by the gates in thirty minutes, any help will be greatly appreciated."

Shouts and murmurs rang throughout the room as Moroi demanded that either their guardians left immediately to help, or that they stayed behind to protect the larger group at the resort.

I didn't need to stick around and wait for this shit to play out. I already knew how it would end. The Moroi would vote that the Drozdovs were a lost cause and that they needed the guardians here. Those with ties to that family would say that the guardians needed to go on a rescue mission to save one of the other royal families. It would go back and forth while nothing was being done to help.

The hallway was crammed full of people waiting to hear what was going on and I had to push and shove my way back to the stairs. I needed to get back to my room and start preparing for the next battle. Because there was no way in hell that I'd be left behind for this one.

Lissa gave me a quick hug as she handed me my messenger bag. "Be careful, Rose."

"Love you, Lissa." I hugged her back. "Stay here. Stay safe."

"I will." She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Twenty minutes later, I'd snuck onto the plane of doom with naught but my old lady get up and a huge pair of sunglasses, all provided to me by Madame Conta not locking the door to her suite. The wig itched like mad and I couldn't help but dig my nails under it and scratch the hell out of my poor noggin.

"Madame Conta's purple wig would have suited you better at this moment." Adrian informed me with a smug smirk as I straightened the itchy fake blond monstrosity that sat on my head. "Or better yet, the cougar red."

"What are you doing here?" My fierce whisper was louder than I had hoped and a few boarding Guardians turned to see what was going on. "You're supposed to be at the resort under armed guard indulging in vats of liquor and ogling girls by the hot tub."

"And you, little Dhampir, are supposed to be getting a manicure with the Princess." He laughed at me. "It looks as though we're both a little off course."

"You're taking up a seat meant for a trained Guardian!" I hissed at him. "You're only one more Moroi to protect. We don't need that where we're going."

"But you aren't a trained Guardian." He retaliated with a sly grin. "And look around, Rosie, out of fifty Guardians only twelve board a plane that can hold one hundred."

I looked around the cabin and found that, to my own dismay, he was right. The front of the cabin had a few Guardians scattered throughout. Twelve in all, counting my mother and not counting myself.

"There aren't enough of us." I realized. "We'll be slaughtered."

"Not if I can help it." Adrian stated with an air of knowing something that I didn't, as he pulled out a thin sleek silver laptop out of his bag. "Human technology is a wondrous thing. Sometimes brains are better than brawn."

"Says someone who has neither." I retorted as I crossed my arms and leaned back to spy on what he was doing.

The plane lifted into the air just as the sun started to rise, if my calculations were correct, we wouldn't land until nine thirty in the morning. And we wouldn't get to the Drozdovs until after one in the afternoon. Even if there was no threat whatsoever, we would only have a few short hours to evacuate everyone and get back to the plane before sunset.

It was downright painful for me as I watched Dimitri take his seat. He shouldn't have been there. He should have been at the lodge guarding Lissa where it was safe. I didn't really care about what had happened between him and Tasha. It wasn't his fault if he was compelled. But it still hurt.

"How hard is it for a non-spirit user to compel a dhampir ?" I asked Adrian.

"It's possible if they're extremely weak willed or if you're compelling them to do something that they'd want to do already, and it would last a few minutes tops." Adrian stated mechanically as he typed. "Why?"

"No reason," I replied as I put my head against the glass and tried to get some sleep.

The tears remained unshed and hidden behind the dark shades as my eyes stayed on the sunrise. Some days my life sucked, and then there were days like this where nothing went as planned. It was only too bad for me that there was a piece of the story that I was missing.

**End Chapter Seventeen**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. I always reply and love to hear what you have to say.**

**Also, I'd like to take a vote on whether or not to change the rating of this story to M. I'd hate to offend or lose any readers over a rating change. Let me know what you think.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her wonderful editing skills! ::Hands over homemade double chocolate chunk cookies::**


	18. Let Her Go

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

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_"There had to be more than last time," said my mother._

_"More?" exclaimed one of the other guardians. "That last group was unheard of. I still can't believe nine Strigoi managed to work together—you expect me to believe they managed to get more organized still?"_

_"Yes," snapped my mother._

_"Any evidence of humans?" someone else asked._

_My mother hesitated, then: "Yes. More broken wards. And the way it was all conducted…it's identical to the Badica attack."_

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds of Time **

**Chapter Eighteen **

**Let Her Go**

Adrian was silent for the first hour of the flight. He didn't speak to me at all as he typed furiously on his laptop. Part of me was curious as to what he was doing; the other part was dreading the upcoming situation at the Drozdovs. At some point I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I woke to the sound of furious whispers. I stayed still and kept my breathing even as I eavesdropped.

"You had to have done something!" Adrian hissed. "I've never seen her look so heartbroken before."

"It's none of your concern, Ivashkov." Dimitri's accent was thicker than ever. "Now I need to speak to Rose. And if I find that you're the one who helped her sneak on this plane you will deal with me."

Adrian's response was low and angry. "No, I'm not leaving, because if you hurt her again I want to be here to end you myself."

"I'll kick both of your asses if you don't shut the fuck up." I grumbled as I yawned and scratched at the wig again.

"How was your nap, Rosie?" Adrian cooed as he put an arm around me and leaned back to smirk at Dimitri.

I cut my eyes over at Adrian and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Interrupted by your bickering."

"Rose, can I talk to you?" Dimitri glared at Adrian who just smiled slyly. "Alone."

"I've already said that I'm not going anywhere." Adrian shook his head and rubbed my shoulder. "Tell him, Rose."

"Actually, he does have some explaining to do." I glanced at Dimitri. "Give us two minutes, please."

Something in my weary tone must have surprised Adrian because he squeezed my shoulder and stood up. "I think there's a mini-bar somewhere that needs emptying. I'll be right back."

Dimitri's expression turned stony as Adrian walked away. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Considering the number of guardians that have volunteered for this suicide mission, I figured they could use all the help they could get." I turned away from him. "Shouldn't you be at the lodge guarding Lissa? Or would you just find yourself in Tasha's bed again?"

Dimitri closed his eyes and put his head down. "You were right about her. She was not acting like herself. She has always been lonely and jaded, but I didn't expect her to react so desperately."

"So she hasn't tried to jump your bones in the past?" I asked curiously, and saw him shake his head. "That's surprising."

"She was trying to compel me." Dimitri said in a harsh whisper.

"Looked to me like she was succeeding." A humorless chuckle escaped my lips.

"I was not compelled." Dimitri said, he leaned closer to me. "I hoped that she would stop, that she would come to her senses, but it was like she was possessed."

"So you just obeyed her?" I asked in confusion. "When were you going to stop her? After you knocked her up?"

Dimitri looked as though I had slapped him and I had to bite my lip to keep from saying anything else.

"No," Dimitri growled, "I was getting ready to walk out and report her to Guardian Petrov when you walked in."

"Really." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you not understand how hard it would be to report her for using compulsion, if all I could say was that she asked me to remove my shirt and sit on the bed?" Dimitri scoffed. "I'd be laughed at and then probably fired."

Dimitri reached into the pocket of his duster and pulled out a small silver medallion and a cell phone. "I started recording our conversation when she asked me to go to her room and I declined. She turned around and looked me in the eyes and ordered me to go. I've never really been susceptible to compulsion, but when the Princess began using it, Kirova gave me one of these medallions that they had confiscated from Victor. It protects the wearer from even the strongest compulsion."

Dimitri looked around to be sure that we weren't being watched as he grabbed my hand. "You have to believe me, Rose. I would never betray you like that. I just didn't understand what could be so important that she'd have to compel me. And you are right about what she wanted."

"A baby." I shook my head. "But if you didn't have any clue of why she wanted you to go to her room, why did you start recording the conversation?"

"I trust your instincts." Dimitri smiled sadly at me. "She was an old friend and a good person the last time we spoke, but when you said that you didn't trust her, I took that into account. I've sent a copy of the recording to Guardian Petrov. She has informed me that she will keep an eye on Tasha and take the necessary steps to press charges. "

"Damn straight I've got good instincts." I looked at him over the top of the sunglasses. "Adrian's walking back, comrade."

"So what'd I miss?" Adrian sat down smelling strongly of liquor. "Am I kicking his ass, Rose?"

"Nah," I shook my head and smiled at him. "We're good."

"You're not going to the Drozdovs, Rose." Dimitri said as the pilot announced our landing.

"I'm not staying here and waiting." I stared at him in determination. "You know that I can help. And I won't sit here while you and my mother go out there to fight who knows how many Strigoi."

"Do I need to get your mother over here to make you see reason?" Dimitri threatened. "Or will you just listen to me for once?"

"Fine," I crossed my arms and my fingers as I leaned back in my seat. "I'll stay on the fucking plane."

Dimitri gave me a shrewd look then looked at Adrian. "Will you keep her here, where it's safe?"

Adrian looked at me as though he was trying to decipher my reason to stay behind. "I won't let her out of my sight."

Twenty minutes later, Adrian drove a massive black SUV through the airport gates and onto the Northern Californian highway. He had to compel one of the guardians to let us commandeer the vehicle. We had watched the guardians gather at the landing strip, among those was Arthur Schoenberg and two people I didn't recognize. We had made it all of five minutes down the road when a guardian headset that was hanging from the rearview mirror began yelling at me, loudly.

"Rosemarie Hathaway!" My mother shouted, making both Adrian and I grimace. "What on earth do you think you're doing back there?"

I reached forward and clicked the power button, cutting her off mid rant. "Guess she caught me."

"Are you sure you need to be here for this, Rose?" Adrian glanced at me as he sped up and passed the other three SUVS in our convoy. "I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about helping you."

"Are you chickening out on me?" I asked him seriously. "I can drive if you don't want to."

"You're mom and boyfriend are going to kill me, and for the life of me I can't choose which one of them scares me more." Adrian shivered as though the mere thought frightened him.

"I'll handle them." I waved off his concern despite the fact that I was scared shitless.

"So in your dream, this was a pretty bad attack?" Adrian asked nervously.

"Yeah," I sighed and rubbed my temples to ease the headache that was building. "Just like the Badica attack, there were no survivors."

The drive was long and Adrian and I took turns being paranoid about what would happen when we finally got to the Estate. From what I gathered from Adrian, the Drozdov home was a heavily warded eight hundred acre estate that was nestled deep in the mountains. Adrian's contact had called him almost halfway to our destination saying that they were unable to help us at that time, sending Adrian into a fit of rage. With my hand on his arm, I pulled the madness from him, helping him calm down and leaving me with a growing feeling of dread. It was shortly into the afternoon when we pulled up to the massive wooden gates. Adrian was sun burnt and tired when he parked the SUV, making me feel even worse about him being a part of this.

"Stay here, I'm going to see if the gate works." I told him as I opened the door and stepped out.

The others hadn't arrived yet and already my heart was pounding behind my ribcage just thinking of the massive bitching out I was going to have to deal with. The code box to the gate was fried and looked like it had been shot with a machine gun. I could feel the darkness swirling around me and already the ghosts were beginning to appear, their gaunt translucent faces looking at me, studying me as they crept closer and closer. Letting them get so close was inviting in a world of trouble and insanity, but I needed all the help I could get.

"Are there survivors?" I whispered quietly as I stared at a young girl with a haggard face who stood at the front of the group.

She nodded her head and peered at me with dead soulless eyes. My heart leapt with relief. There was still time to save to save the occupants from a horrible fate. The sound of doors slamming pulled me from the moment and I turned around to see three very angry guardians standing in front of me.

I opened my mouth to speak but my mother held up a hand to stop me. "Don't say a word, Rose. There is nothing that you can say to justify this. You're getting back in that vehicle and Mr. Ivashkov will drive you back to the airport immediately. And don't think that you can wait until we're out of sight. There is GPS in those vehicles that we can track. I'll deal with you when we're back on the plane."

I kept my mouth shut as I walked back to the SUV, and got in slamming the door loudly. Adrian was lying back in his seat with the air conditioner going full blast with his jacket covering his face.

"You need to drive back to the airport." I said calmly. "They're tracking the vehicle and I'm going to be in deep shit if I don't get back to the plane."

"And you're just agreeing with this?" Adrian moved the jacket aside to give me a look.

"No," I responded firmly, "You're driving back to the airport and are going to compel whoever you can to get a helicopter here as fast as they can. You're going to drop me off on the side of the road about a quarter of a mile from here."

"Sounds like something I can do." Adrian nodded as he sat up. "Are you going to be okay going in there alone?"

"Yeah," I said as he cranked the vehicle and backed up, "I'll meet up with the guardians and go in with them."

Okay, so I wasn't all that confident, but I had to do something to get him to safety. And considering how much trouble I was going to be in, I was less than thrilled to meet up with my mother, Dimitri, and Alberta.

"Okay, stop here." I said as soon as we were far enough away from the rest of the group to avoid them seeing me.

I dug around in the SUV until I found what I had been looking for. By the time Adrian left me on the side of the road, I had a backpack on my shoulders that held two silver stakes, a small medical kit and a machete that looked like it had seen better days. The trek through the dense underbrush was unlike anything I had ever been through and it took me almost half an hour to reach the clearing where the Estate stood. Despite that, I was still ahead of the rescue group, who had apparently taken a longer route as they walked along the driveway. The beautiful home was in ruins, there were wrecked vehicles and a destroyed helicopter lying in the front yard. The small traces of smoke I had smelled from the underbrush was coming from the house, but there was no sign of a fire.

"Rose!" My mother spotted me from fifty feet away.

I walked up to them with my held high and a stake clutched tightly in my hand. Dimitri looked like he was ready to breathe fire. My mother shook her head at me and Alberta sighed loudly as I joined them. It was Arthur who surprised me.

"Rose," he pulled me into a hug, "it's good to see you again. Although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Me too, sir." I said quietly.

"Call me Art." He nodded at me. "We've fought together and I didn't have to save your ass, so you can call me Art."

"So what's the plan?" I asked him, ignoring the incredulous staring that I could feel from the fourteen guardians.

"What are your thoughts, child?" Art asked me as we looked at the smoldering ruin that used to be a beautiful estate.

"There are more than thirty Strigoi inside." I said, using my own nausea and the ghost's knowledge as a reference. "There has been some kind of explosion and the structure of the house seems unstable. The helicopter and transports have been taken out. We don't know how many survivors are inside."

"Very good." Arthur responded grimly as he measured my words.

* * *

We split up into four small groups as we covered the grounds and outbuildings for survivors. My mother, Tamara, and a young guardian who I'd never met before were in my group, as we entered into the once magnificent estate. There was destruction everywhere as we walked into the smoke filled main floor. Our steps were quiet and sure as we carefully walked throughout the household. We stayed silent, using only hand signals to talk to each other. I was grateful for that fact, as I was dreading what my mother and instructors had to say about me stowing away on their rescue mission.

After over an hour of careful movements to avoid weak points in the floor, my mother pointed to the surprisingly intact basement door and then at me. She then pointed at Tamara and the other guardian to take the stairs up to look for survivors. Things went downhill after we split up. We were slowly creeping down the stairs and into the basement hallway when we had to pause at the report coming over the headsets that we all wore. I could hear Art telling my mother about the humans that he and Dimitri had discovered in another section of the house. They confessed to setting explosives throughout the basement to flush out the Moroi the night before, and several had gone off too early which lead to the destruction of the house that morning. The others were set to go off later that night. The good news was that the Strigoi had gotten trapped down there when the sun came up, the bad news was that they had taken a young girl there with them as a hostage.

My mother turned to me with a determined look as she pointed to the stairs. I shook my head at her as I placed a hand on her shoulder. There was no way I could leave her with thirty Strigoi in a basement all by herself. She put her head down as we walked throughout the dark room. Our steps were soundless and careful, but still the Strigoi could be heard scratching at the door to the panic room. It looked like they had gone in there for cover and after the first explosion they had ended up trapped inside. My mother's eyes widened as she pointed to a small still figure in the far back corner of the massive basement. We didn't have the luxury of flashlights or electricity as we made our way to where the child sat huddled up against the far wall. Our only light was the slowly setting sun that counted down until the Strigoi really came to life. If we didn't get out of there by then, there was no hope for us.

"There is a remote detonator in the basement, Janine," Art said over the headsets, "the humans working with the Strigoi planned to bring the house down on top of the Drozdovs after this raid, but we captured them before they could make the call. From what this man says, it's supposed to be above the door handle to the panic room. One of the Stigoi was meant to set the explosion when the rest were clear."

I split off from my mother when I heard that. She saw my movement and spun around with a furious look, but I ignored her as I quietly walked up to the door. I could see the red handled remote hanging from a strap on the doorknob. The sounds of screams and wails made me take a step back, away from the door, after I had grabbed the detonator and moved to where my mother was standing. She kept a hand on my arm as we kept our backs to the wall and made our way to where the little girl sat.

The ghosts surrounded me and I could see the anticipation in their eyes. With my stake grasped firmly in my hand, I looked up to see two Strigoi hanging from the rafters overhead. The first jumped down and cocked his head to the side with his fangs bared. With a lightning quick move I plunged the stake into his chest and then pulled it out as he flopped to the floor. He must have been newly awakened because there was no way that I could have done such a thing with an older and more experienced Strigoi. The second was a middle aged woman. She hissed at me through her teeth as I backed away, blocking her view from where my mother was, and she darted toward me. I dropped to one knee and let her sail over my head and land onto the cement floor with a loud thump. She jumped back up and darted forward. Her fist hit my temple and my head flew backwards under the force of her punch. When I regained my balance, I shoved the stake forward and she shrieked in rage as it impaled the top of her ribs, nowhere near the heart. Before I could even register what happened, she dropped to the ground motionless.

"Quiet." My mother breathed as she pulled her stake from the Strigoi's back, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the small alcove where the little girl was at.

A loud explosion sent us flying to the floor and covering our heads. When it was over, I scrambled to my feet and helped my mother up. We both stumbled and coughed. The little girl cried quietly as I pulled her into my arms and tried to get her to stop crying. The Strigoi trapped in the bomb shelter were screaming and yelling loudly and we didn't need to tip them off to the fact that there was fresh blood so close to them. The little girl had tears streaming down her face and more tears pooling in her eyes. She looked from me to my mother in fear and buried her head into my neck. I didn't know what else to do but hold her as my mother searched the room for another way out. The small hallway we had walked through was completely blocked off. The vents were barely large enough to give us light to see, but still to small for us to crawl out of, not to mention that they were set four foot deep into the ground and made of concrete.

After we reported our position and situation, there was nothing else to do but wait. We must have sat down there for hours, waiting in silence and hoping that our rescuers would show up before the Strigoi clawed their way through the thick concrete walls.

"Other than the Drozdov's daughter, everyone has been extracted from the buildings." Dimtri's silky voice sounded over the headset.

I pressed the button on my headset. "We've got her. She's a little shaken up but okay. You'll need to check the air vents along the bottom of the basement to find the quickest extraction point for her. Guardian Hathaway and I will probably have to fight our way out."

My mother gave me a look of grim determination as she pressed the button on her headset. "East wall, sixth vent over. Bring a rope."

"I'm on my way." Dimitri responded quickly.

"Come on, sweetie." My mother cooed to the little girl. "Let's get you to your mom and dad."

She whispered to me as I handed her the detonator. "Rose, make sure she can fit through there."

The little girl was tiny, she couldn't have been more than two or three, but still, the vent wasn't very big. I took off my leather jacket and wrapped it around her tiny shoulders and used the arms of the coat to tie it around her tightly to keep the rough concrete from scraping her tender skin. I heard the creaking of metal as Dimitri pried the metal guard from the vent and sent a line of rope down.

"You stay very still while they pull you up, okay." I told her as I grabbed the rope from the end of the vent and carefully tied it around her.

"Quickly, Rose," Janine hissed at me as the ceiling above us began to creak ominously.

I tugged on the rope twice to let Dimitri know that we were ready as I pressed the button on my earpiece. "We've got her ready."

"Okay, lift her into the vent." Dimitri responded quickly. "We've got the medics at the chopper waiting, but they're almost out of fuel so you're going to have to hurry."

"Got it." I told him as I broke the connection.

"Good luck, kiddo." I said as I lifted her into the vent.

My mother and I both watched as she was pulled safely through.

"That's it," Janine smiled at me as she turned around and pulled the detonator out of her jacket pocket, "let's find another way out of here."

"You don't have to tell me twice." I laughed as I turned around and headed towards the pile of rubble that blocked our path to the basement stairs.

"Rose!" My mother yelled. "Move!"

She shoved me roughly to the side as a huge portion of the ceiling fell down. Huge chunks of concrete and metal along with tools of different types rained down on top of us. Chaos ensued as I heard the loud crunch of a concrete block falling on my arm and screamed. I staggered but managed to remain standing. I was trapped; my arm was pinned as I tried to cover my head with my other arm.

"Mom!" I yelled for her when the dust was settled. "Mom."

Silence engulfed me. There, lying trapped underneath the rubble not one foot away from me was my mother. She had a look of shock plastered on her face as she stared up into what must have been the Drozdov's garage. She had been crushed by a sheet of concrete from her chest down.

"Mom!" I yelled as I tried to free my arm. "Mom! Wake up!"

My breaths were coming in short gasps and my heart raced as I searched my surroundings for something to pry the concrete off of my arm. A piece of rebar stuck out amongst the rest where it had broken off and I grabbed it quickly and shoved it in between the pieces of concrete, using all of my strength to free my arm. It didn't work, there had to have been almost four hundred pounds of concrete pinning me there. It had to have been some kind of cruel joke. My mother was the epitome of cool, calm, collected and prepared. There was no way she could have been caught off guard. There was no way that she could be gone. Not here. Not this way.

"Come on, mom!" I screamed at her, but she laid still and unmoving. "NO!"

My scream of rage and pain had only one affect. The Strigoi behind the concrete wall began digging furiously in an attempt to free themselves. My chest hurt badly, and my eyes watered as I tried to keep myself from crying out anymore. The rescue team had to leave within the next few minutes or the Strigoi would break free and attack without hesitation. Something red on the ground below me caught my eye and I had to use the piece of rebar to drag it close enough to reach. It was the remote detonator that would set off the explosives surrounding the basement.

The dark fog swirled and pooled around me and from the mist a form emerged. Just as she was in life, my mother stood before me, mere shadow and vapor. Her hand reached out and her icy touch grazed my cheek. I shook my head at her as I looked away. It was too much. Her hand grasped mine and I could feel her trying to tug at it.

"I have to." I said to her as she looked at me with tears in her eyes. "But I'll see you soon."

She shook her head furiously and tried and failed again to really grab my hand. "I'm sorry, mom. I should have protected you. I should have listened to you."

She tugged at my hand once more and then stopped. Her eyes looked so sad that I had to look away. She wasn't supposed to die. It was all my fault. I had changed things and had inadvertently put her in the path of danger.

"Please don't leave me." I pleaded with her. "Please, stay until it's over."

She smiled sadly at me and stood as close as she could. My vision spun wildly and I swayed on my feet. My mother tapped my forehead with an icy finger to keep me awake, and I looked up to see her pointing at her earpiece. She was right, I could still call out. It didn't have to end this way.

"Dimitri?" I said into the earpiece. "Where are you?"

"I'm almost to the chopper." Dimitri responded within seconds. "What was that noise? Where are you and Janine?"

"She…she didn't make it." I whispered as I looked from where my mother lay to where her ghost stood.

"Roza," he said softly, "are you okay? Where are you?"

"One of the supports gave in. The ceiling collapsed." Tears began pooling in my eyes. "I'm trapped."

"Where," Dimitri growled out and I could hear him cursing in Russian.

"Look, there's no time." My throat felt tight and I had to get the words out before I wouldn't be able to. "If I don't blow this thing now, they're going to escape. The sun is setting and we won't be able to get down the road before they're after us. There are too many."

"Is she injured?" I could hear the voice of one of the medics ask him about the little girl and I hoped that she'd be okay.

"Take her." Dimitri ordered the medic.

"Rose, wait." He begged me. "We can fight them off and get to you."

"No!" I cried. "This is the only way. I have to blow it now."

"Roza," I could hear the strain in his voice.

Time was up. I held tightly to the switch and forced my hands not to shake as I pulled the safety guard off. There was so much that I had left to do, see, say, and experience, but if that was my last moment there was only one thing that was important.

"I love you." I said as loudly as I could. "Damn, it feels good to finally say that. I love you, Dimitri. I always have and I always will."

"Don't." He pleaded.

I pushed the button and the world around me exploded into the most glorious light.

**End Chapter Eighteen**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. I always reply and love to hear what you think.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed &amp; favorited Bonds of Time.**

**Special love to Caden29 for her supreme awesomeness! ::Sends homemade sugar cookies and whiskey::**

**I've been thinking about writing a companion piece for this story, starting from the beginning, from Dimitri's POV. Let me know if you would be interested in reading something like that.**


	19. Blinding

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated T for language. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_I watched my mother with fascination. I'd listened to her tell her stories. I'd seen and felt her fight. But really, truly, I'd never seen her in action in a real-life crisis. She showed every bit of that hard control she did around me, but here, I could see how necessary it was. A situation like this created panic. Even among the guardians, I could sense those who were so keyed up that they wanted to do something drastic. My mother was a voice of reason, a reminder that they had to stay focused and fully assess the situation. Her composure calmed everybody; her strong manner inspired them. This, I realized, was how a leader behaved._

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds of Time**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Blinding**

They say that your life flashes before your eyes before you die. For me, it was much the same. When the blinding light faded, I watched from a distance as my three year old self fell onto the pavement.

_My knees were scraped and I had tears in my eyes, but my mother pulled me to my feet._

"_You're such a brave girl, Rosie." She smiled at me as she picked me up and carried me back into the apartment._

_Then I was there on my first day of school, it was the day when my mother would leave me to go back to being a full time guardian. _

"_You'll do just fine, baby." My mother told me as she drove through the Academy's gates. "I'm very proud of you."_

_Suddenly I was in the Royal ballroom as Lissa knelt down wearing a gorgeous golden gown. Chrisitan stood off to her left. They had both aged considerably and there were two young children standing on either side of them as they watched Queen Tatiana place the crown on Lissa's head. They smiled and clapped as Lissa looked to the back of the room. Dimitri stood there, looking healthy and strong as ever but much older. He smiled and clapped as he joined everyone in the room in kneeling before the newly crowned Queen._

And then I opened my eye once again to find the stars shining brightly overheard and my entire body wracked with pain. My right eye felt like it was swollen shut and my jaw felt like it was broken. A portion of the concrete ceiling had fallen off and shielded me from the blast, but the explosion had destroyed everything else in sight. It also had shifted the rubble enough to free my trapped and broken arm. Dead silence surrounded me as I stared around into the flames and smoke. My deafness unnerved me far more than I liked to admit. My left arm ached badly as I pulled it close to my chest and tried to climb my way out. It wasn't an easy task. Flames licked at my shoes as I pulled my way up with one hand into the smoldering remains of the garage. My hip and leg scraped along the unforgiving surface, eating a hole in the side of my thin slacks and creating a sharp burning sensation along my thigh and calf.

The explosion had singed my hair and the smell of it was horrible. The nails and fingertips and fingertips on my right hand slipped and slid on the rough cement, cutting at the flesh, but I did not let go. The flames came closer and the smoke thickened as I pulled myself into what was left of the garage. My legs were shakier than a newborn colt as I took one slow step after another through the rubble.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I had escaped from that amount of destruction. Sure, I was battered, bruised and more than a little burnt, but I was alive. The darkness that surrounded me was testament to that fact. The ghosts swirled around me, guiding me and pushing me to keep going. The moonlight made the smoke glow like a blue mist as I stepped out into the open air. Flashing yellow lights in the distance caught my eye and I changed course and walked to where they were coming from. Everyone was supposed to have left by now. Adrian had come through for me and gotten the chopper here in time to get the injured Moroi out before I had blown the bomb.

The scene I walked up on would forever be etched into my memory. Arthur's hand was on Dimitri's shoulder as he kneeled on the ground with his head in his hands. Adrian was arguing with Tamara about something, I had no clue what about as all I could see was there mouth's moving. Adrian turned at pointed towards the ruins behind me and his eyes went wide as they met mine. He shoved Tamara away as he ran toward me. I held up my good arm to stop him when he was a few feet away and narrowed my good eye at him and shook my head gesturing at my injuries. I looked up to see Dimitri slowly walking toward us; his fists were clenched at his side as he brushed past Adrian. And then I was in his arms and I no longer cared about the pain. I was home.

My body trembled at his touch and I didn't fight the feeling. I put my good arm around his neck and pulled his forehead to mine. He said something and I had to pull away and shake my head, pointing to my ears and letting him know that I had no clue what he was saying. His eyes narrowed as he ran a hand along my neck and pulled back fingers that were sticky with thick red blood. I grimaced and shrugged as he carefully guided me to the SUV where Arthur stood smiling and Tamara shook her head with a small grin on her face.

Adrian surprised me by bringing a hand to my cheek as I sat down beside him. Dimitri sat on my right, holding my good hand as I felt the tingling pull of Adrian healing me. I wanted to pull away, but I could feel how much he needed to do this. Slowly, my hearing came back, and I could hear the smooth purr of the motor and the tires spinning along the rough pavement. I grabbed Adrian's hand and removed it from my cheek.

"Thank you," I said sincerely, "but I'd like to heal on my own from here."

"She speaks!" Arthur looked at me from the rearview mirror as Dimitri held my hand tightly. "You did good today, child. Janine would be proud."

My breath caught in my throat and my voice croaked as I asked a question that had weighed on me since before the blast. "What will happen to her?"

Tamara turned around in her seat and put a hand on my knee. "There's a team on their way now. They'll get her back to court for us."

Guardian funerals were usually held in their hometowns, but for the life of me I didn't know how I'd begin to plan such a thing. I had never met any of my mother's family. Hell, I didn't even know if she liked her hometown. Dimitri squeezed my hand gently and I didn't hesitate to lean onto his side as I watched the road. Arthur smiled at us in the rearview mirror and I took that as a sign that he and Tamara were not bothered by the relationship I had with my mentor. Adrian held my other hand as I fell into a restless doze.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was in a room I did not recognize. It was very nice and well decorated, the twin bed that I was in was comfortable and I didn't want to move, hell I just wanted to go back to sleep and forget the past twenty four hours. My hand felt warm and heavy and I looked over to see that Dimitri had fallen asleep with his head resting on the side of my bed, while holding my hand. My fingers grazed over his silky hair as I listened to the even sounds of his breathing. The fit of coughing that overcame me was not something that I could contain. My lungs and throat burned as I sat up and coughed more than I ever had before.

"Roza," Dimitri said quickly as he stood and pulled into his arms, "try to take small breaths. You've inhaled a lot of smoke."

"Where are we?" I asked quickly.

"Back at the lodge." He brushed the hair out of my face. "You slept through the drive and most of the flight. We got back an hour ago."

"Oh," my mind swam as I tried to remember any of it, "how long am I in for?"

Dimitri chuckled as he helped me lie back down. "Just for the night."

"Well that sucks." I grimaced.

"Your father will be here in the morning." Dimitri said solemnly. "I hope you don't mind that I told him what happened."

"How did you find out who he is?" I asked curiously.

"Your cell phone was ringing in your bag on our way back." Dimitri told me. "He seemed quite adamant that he be here to see you."

"She's gone." Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. "I just can't believe that she's gone."

"I'm so sorry, Roza," Dimitri kissed my forehead. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just stay." I squeezed his hand as I turned on my side.

"What you did back there scared the hell out of me." Dimitri bent down until he was eye level with me. "But I want you to know that I love you too."

With that he kissed me gently as he wiped the tears from my cheek.

* * *

When I woke up later that day, I felt much better and was released from the hospital with my arm in a cast. Adrian and Dimitri had both turned into mother hens on me and had made me go straight to my room to rest, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

My father stood in the room, speaking to Lissa, when the three of us walked in. Lissa rushed to my side and pulled me into a hug. Hell, even Christian didn't hesitate to hug me and I couldn't resist planting a kiss on his cheek just to see him squirm. But my father stood there looking like a statue as he stared at me.

"Rosemarie," he called me by the name that my mother was so fond of and I couldn't help it as I stumbled toward the couch.

He grasped my arms and pulled me toward him. "I'm sorry, little one."

"I'm sorry." I cried, not caring who else was around. "I couldn't save her."

"Your mother loved you very much." He told me. "I know that she would be glad that you are safe."

He was right. My mother's ghost had stayed with me until I had gotten to safety. She wasn't angry with me. But the thought of never seeing her again ate at my very soul. I wanted her to be there when I graduated and got my promise mark. I wanted her there for every big moment in my life. But more than anything, I just wanted her to back.

**End Chapter Nineteen**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed! I love to hear what you have to say.**

**I will be taking a brief break from this story to start writing the companion piece from Dimitri's POV. Be sure to add me to your Author Alert list if you are interested in reading it. The title will be Bonds of Fate. I will still be continuing Bonds Of Time. It has a very long while to go before it's over.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her supreme awesomeness in editing and proof reading. ::sends tequila and limes::**


	20. As The Rush Comes

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose is not only healed, but somehow ends up somewhere she never could have imagined. Canon up until Time-Travel. Rated M for language…etc First multi-chapter fic.**

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**LEMON WARNING FOR CHAPTER!**

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_"Lucas and Moira's son?"_

_Christian said nothing, but the confirmation on his face was obvious._

_"I knew your parents. Great people. Unparalleled. Their deaths were a shame… but, well… I daresay they brought that on themselves. I told them they shouldn't have gone back for you. Would have been wasteful to awaken you so young. They claimed they were going to just keep you around and waken you when you were older. I warned them that that would be a disaster, but, well…" _

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds of Time**

**Chapter Twenty**

**As The Rush Comes**

The weeks after my mother's funeral passed in a haze of activity. My father had blackmailed Kirova into letting me accompany him to Scotland to put my mother to rest. He had been very patient and supportive and I saw no sign of the cunning Russian mob boss when he was near me. The arrangements had all been handled by him and I couldn't have been more grateful as I had no experience whatsoever in planning a funeral. When we returned to the airport in Scotland, my father had put his arms around my shoulders and handed me the plane ticket to return to the lodge where the rest of the students were still staying.

"There will be a guardian waiting for you at the gate, little one." He gave me a quick hug. "Have a safe flight and don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"Thanks, old man." I smiled at him as I grabbed my bag and headed onto the plane.

The flight was long and tiring, and the constant swirling darkness had left me with the mother of all headaches. But it was well worth it if it got me back to Dimitri and Lissa. Neither of them had been able to contact me since I left and I was dying to see them both. Everytime I had checked on Lissa, she had always been with Tasha and I would get so angry that I'd pull my mind from the bond. Hell, I even missed Sparky. Adrian had pulled me into his dreams every night. The conversations were always light hearted and fun, but each time I could see the dark rings under his eyes and the bone deep weariness get worse. No matter how much darkness I pulled from him, there was always more. Neither of us spoke about it, because I don't think he even knew what was happening.

It felt surreal to stand at the baggage claim by myself. I had always been pretty content the few times I was out on my own, but for some odd reason I kept feeling the urge that I needed to get back. A hand on my shoulder caught me by surprise and I spun around ready to face any attacker. I had been so caught up in my own musings that I didn't even hear the footsteps behind me.

Our eyes met and he pulled me into a bone crushing hug that made my heart soar. "I've missed you."

Dimitri set me back down as his eyes searched my face. "Watching you leave with your father, so soon after everything that happened, was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

I know what he meant. I had felt exactly the same way as I had to pack my bags and leave without being able to get one last kiss. After my escape from the makeshift clinic, there was always someone around to keep me and Dimitri apart. All that we had were stolen glances and the occasional word or two before we were interrupted. It seemed that every guardian, novice and Moroi in the lodge had stopped by my room at least twice to either give their condolences or tell me how brave I was to freaking blow myself up. Which brought a very important question to mind.

"Is Tasha still at the lodge?" I looked up at him with a sour face.

"Alberta is still trying to find the best way to get the charges passed." Dimitri tried to reassure me. "Everyone's been quite busy in the aftermath of the last attack."

"She hasn't tried anything has she?" I narrowed my eyes as my mind went back to the night she had tried to compel him to knock her up.

"No, Roza," Dimitri kissed my forehead, "She hasn't tried anything. I've spent the last week at the guard station. I haven't even seen her other than in passing."

I brushed the hair out of my face and looked up at him. "Let's get out of here."

"As you wish." Dimitri pulled my bag from my hand and slung it onto his shoulder as he grabbed my other hand and held it tightly.

"You better be careful with that bag," I smirked at him, "your Christmas present is inside."

"Having you back is gift enough." Dimitri smiled at me. "And you'll have to wait until Christmas morning to open yours."

"Damn," I sighed in mock disappointment as we walked toward where he had parked the SUV. "Hey, is Adrian okay?"

"Define okay." Dimitri replied in a low tone. "He has stayed shut in his room for most of the week."

"That's not like him." I said worriedly. "I'd have figured that he'd have drained the bar while I was gone."

"No," Dimitri shook his head and stared straight ahead, not meeting my eyes. "he hasn't been drinking. I'm quite sure that he has been doing his best to avoid me though."

"Why would he avoid you?" I asked curiously. "I thought you two were alright with each other."

"Let's just say that your father and I both had a talk with him about the consequences of helping you get to the Drozdov estate."

"Well, I was going to be there whether Adrian helped me or not." I stopped and stared at Dimitir. "If I had to do it all over again, I would."

There was a knowing glint in Dimitri's eyes as he turned away from me. "My grandmother pulled me to the side, the day I was leaving home to travel to the US. She told me that one day I would find a girl that was more mysterious than any book that I have ever read. Would you like to know how she described this girl to me?"

"How?" I asked as I pictured Yeva and her crazy ass cryptic speech. "Trouble?"

Dimitri's eyes widened momentarily as he said; "She said that you were cloaked in darkness but that you would shine brighter than the rising sun."

"That's helpful." I laughed. "There's no way that could be me, you better get back on the ball about searching for your mystery woman."

"Oh, it's you alright." Dimitri chuckled. "She said that you'd be even more stubborn than I am."

"I'll concede to that one." I shook my head.

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We got back to the lodge around noon. The guard at the gate smiled widely at me and nodded his head as we drove through. It was unnerving to be in the spotlight when I had tried for months to avoid it. The dhampirs that worked at the lounge were scattered throughout as they cleaned. Dimitri eye's searched the hallway and when he found it empty, he opened the door and pulled me into his room. My bag hit the floor along with my new heavy wool jacket. Dimitri's duster ended up on top of the TV.

His warm hands pulled my face to his and he kissed me deeply. I wrapped my legs around him, drinking in the feeling of being closer to him. My back arched in an effort to feel more of him. His breath caught as I reached between us and unbuttoned his pants and then started on my own. His eyes were filled with lust and longing as he watched me unzip my pants. My movements are swift and well calculated but still he surprised me when he dropped me onto the bed. My entire body was alight with anticipation and need. When there are no more clothes to shed, he stood and stared down at me with reverence.

"See something you like, comrade?" I teased him.

"No," his voice was deep and husky as he knelt on the bed and hovered over me, "Everything that I see, I love."

My hands snake around his neck as I kissed him. His tongue grazes over my lips and I grant him entrance. Our hands roam over each other's bodies as we move closer and closer together. And then there was no space between us. Dimitri breaks the kiss and stared into my eyes as he entered me. My eyes rolled back at the euphoric sensation as he moves against me slowly. Already my muscles are tightening and I know that I won't last long. I rolled Dimitri on his back and straddle him as I grind down on him. His hands grabbed my ass as he lifted me slightly and drove into me again and again. Our pace was slow and steady to start out but quickly became heated and frantic. My back arches once again as I can feel myself climbing to the edge of ecstasy with him. He leans up and then his mouth is on my breast as his teeth grazed my nipple. I leaned back and moaned as he continues his ministrations. And then at last I collapsed into his arms as the intense pleasure washed over me. Dimitri plowed into me three more times before he went rigid beneath me. Our breaths came out in quick pants as he peppered my face with kisses.

"I love you, Roza." He put his arms around me and held me tight.

"I love you, too." I whispered into his ear.

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We fell asleep quickly after that, wrapped up in each others arms. I'm pulled from my restful sleep an hours later when I was overcome with fear. Jumping up from the bed, I paced the floor as I checked in on Lissa.

"_Not another word, vamp!" _

_Her fear was palpable as she and Christian stared at each other with panicked eyes. Their feet and hands were bound by plastic zip ties as they lied face down on the metal floor of a van. Mia cried quietly behind Lissa as the driver hit a bump and they were bounced around._

My own fear and worry pulled me back out of the bond. Dimitri was sitting up and grabbed my shaking hands.

"Lissa, Christian, Mia and a few other novices have been kidnapped." I hissed as I pulled free from his grip and dug into my bag to try to find some clothes.

"Where?" Dimitri was in guardian mode as he joined me in getting dressed.

"Spokane, Washington." I pulled on my pants and shoes.

"Who has taken them?" He asked as he pulled my bra off the ceiling fan and handed it to me.

"Fucking humans!" I was twisted up in my shirt and ended up ripping it down the side in my irritation. "They're taking them to Strigoi."

"Do you know the way?" He opened the door when we were both dressed.

"Yes." There was no way I could forget the place where Mason had died in my dream.

Dimitri stopped by Alberta's room on our way to the main floor. The stern looking woman was surprised that Lissa and the others had been able to escape the lodge's security. I was wondering how they pulled it off. There was no way that they could have found out about the Strigoi hideout from any of the guardians. Any Moroi would have known better than to tell a bunch of teenagers about it.

"Tasha." I hissed as I took off down the hallway.

Dimitri and Alberta were quick on my heels as I burst through the stairwell door. I didn't bother with the stairs as I jumped over the hand rails and fell the fifteen feet to the floor. I heard their quick footsteps as I opened the first floor door and ran straight into the person I was looking for.

"Oh, Rose." Tasha laughed as she held a hand to her chest.

I didn't hold back. My fist hit her jaw with all the force I could manage. Tasha fell to the floor with a scream and I jumped on top of her as I reared back to hit her again. Strong arms pulled me back as I tried to get another swing in.

"Rose, STOP!" Dimitri roared at me as he held my arms down in his iron grasp.

"She fucking told them! Didn't you, you stupid bitch!" I screamed at her. "You told them about the Strigoi hideout in Washington!"

"Told who?" Tasha looked at me in alarm.

"Christian and Lissa!" My rage was overpowering me and I didn't know if I could stand the sight of her much longer. "Don't deny that you've been filling their heads full of the whole 'We Moroi can defend ourselves' shit!"

"Well, yes," She said confused as she looked from Alberta to Dimitri. "I told them about it. I don't understand what the problem is."

"Well," I spat, "you might've succeeded in sending five teenagers to their deaths so they can prove that they can take offensive measures. I hope you're fucking proud."

"What?" Tasha's eyes widened in realization. "No! They weren't meant to go themselves! I never wanted that!"

"We need to leave now." I said to Dimitri who still held my arms.

Despite my anger towards Tasha, I tried to stay focused on the task at hand. During the long drive from Lowston, Idaho to Spokane, I stayed in the bond with Lissa. And the longer I stayed the more distressed I became. Isaiah and Elena hadn't hesitated this time. They had called in reinforcements.

_Lissa had been tied to a wooden chair in the basement, but she was alone and scared. Where as in my dream we had all been together in one room, Lissa was cut off from the others. She cried quietly as the plastic cuffs cut into her wrists. The Strigoi came in to gawk at her in groups of three as they marveled over having captured the last Dragomir. The last three to open her door had me cringing in fear. Isaiah and Elena both stood there with a look of pride in their eyes as they held the door open for a fairly short Strigoi woman to walk in. Galina, Dimitri's former mentor, stood there pale faced and red eyed as she looked down on Lissa with a look that I can only describe as contemplative bloodlust._

"_The last Dragomir," Galina cooed with a heavy accent, "yes, she will be a great addition to our ranks."_

_Lissa's fear escalated as she looked into the woman's hungry eyes. I couldn't blame her. There had to be almost ten to twelve Strigoi in the house. There was no clue as to the state of the other teens well being. __**Please, Rose! **__Lissa thought. __**Please help us!**_

I left the bond when Dimitri squeezed my hand and I turned to him. "They have them trapped in a basement." I said quickly. "There are at least ten or twelve Strigoi that I've seen so far, maybe more. Their leader has a heavy Russian accent. The others called her Galina."

Dimitri's expression held no sign that he recognized the name. My goal wasn't to try to shock him with the information, but he needed to be warned about who we were going up against. The rest of the drive was spent with careful planning. Dimitri, Alberta and Stan all asked questions non-stop. I gave them the most accurate answers that I could and hoped that we would not be too late. There was no way I could survive losing Lissa or anyone else.

Three long hours after leaving the lodge, we pulled onto the cul-de-sac that led to the Strigoi hideout. The tension in the vehicle was almost unnerving. There were three young Moroi, one of which was the Princess, and two novices. My fear and anger overwhelmed me the closer we got to the house, but I reigned it in. The darkness was like a thundercloud around me, calling to me, their lifeless faces staring at me in warning. Blocking them out, I looked through the back glass of the SUV to see Tasha Ozera waving her hands and gesturing wildly to the guardian who drove behind us. I didn't understand why they had let her tag along, she would only get in the way, but there was nothing I could say to change her mind.

The house looked different in the middle of the night. The streetlights gave it a quiet and unsuspicious look as we stopped further down the street. But I could feel the nausea bubbling up in my stomach. Fourteen Strigoi, by my count, where inside and they had no idea we were coming.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Stan asked me in a disbelieving tone.

"What did you expect? A gothic mansion that had the windows boarded up?" I said sarcastically. "Yes, it's the right place."

Alberta passed around a duffle bag that held stakes and headsets. I grabbed two stakes and put the earpiece into my ear.

"We've got runners!" Stan informed us as he pointed to where Strigoi flooded out of the back of the house and into the surrounding woods.

I checked on Lissa through the bond and felt her confusion as the chaos of Strigoi fleeing the house could be heard in the basement. She was tired and hungry, but otherwise okay. I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped out of the SUV and followed Dimitri.

Alberta took up the front of the group as she jogged toward the house. Stan was a few feet behind her. I followed him closely as Dimitri jogged beside me. All of us were on high alert, there were only six of us going up against who knows how many Strigoi. My nausea had eased off but hadn't gone away completely.

"Three of them." I whispered into my earpiece. "They're waiting for us in the house."

"Copy." The guardians that went towards the woods responded in quick succession.

Alberta stopped at the door and pointed for Dimitri and I to go around the back. I stalked across the icy grass quietly with Dimitri covering my back. The patio doors were wide open when we walked up and I hesitated for a moment before I walked through them. The darkness was too thick for me to block out and I had no choice but to let it in. It circled and called to me and from the depths a form emerged, a form I would recognize anywhere. Eddie shook his head and smiled at me as he tried to reach for me. His icy hand passed through my outstretched one. _No!_ I thought fiercely. _This couldn't be happening. _Over a month spent trying to protect Lissa and Victor still takes her. Natalie still turns Strigoi an dies. All of my efforts to save the Badica's and Leanne had been lost. The Drozdovs were saved, but my mother had not made it. What was the point of the dream if bad things still happened?

Dimitri tapped my shoulder and I turned to him with tears in my eyes. I said nothing as I shook my head as I stepped across the threshold with Eddie walking beside me. Eddie turned to the left and I followed suit. I saw a flash of movement and struck out, my stake raked across the face of a tall Strigoi man. He bared his teeth and swiped at me as I ducked while Dimitri swung an arm around and staked him quickly. The Strigoi fell to the floor as I moved toward the basement door where Eddie was waiting for me. Dimitri covered me as I opened the door and quietly walked down the stairs. Mia was held in the first room that Eddie pointed to. She looked up at me in relief as she recognized me. I could tell that she hadn't expected to be rescued. I used my pocket knife to cut her free from the plastic cuffs and helped her stand up.

"Are you okay, Mia?" I put my arm under hers as I guided her out into the hallway.

"Yeah," Mia replied as I helped her sit down, "How'd you find us?"

"You're not all that subtle," I tried to joke with her, "You left quite the trail."

Eddie was waiting for me at another door and I left Mia with Dimitri as I opened it to find Christian who had set his chair on fire and stood there beside it with his arms still smoking.

"Come on, Sparky." I told him as I held up my knife. "Let the big kids handle this one."

Christian stared at me in awe as though he didn't believe I was really there. "Rose?"

"That's my name." I said as I easily cut through the half melted plastic strap. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he winced as he rubbed at his wrists, "where's Lissa?"

"Haven't gotten to her room yet." I shook my head as we walked out. "You can either go to Guardian Belikov and wait or you can help me find her."

"I'll help," Christian said quickly as I opened another door to find Mason.

Mason's head was lolled to the side and his neck was bleeding profusely. The Strigoi had been feeding off of him for a while. They had not been kind while feeding either, his neck bore pair after pair of bite marks and parts of it had been ripped open by their sharp fangs.

"Shit!" I whispered as I cut him free. "Help me carry him out."

He mumbled incoherently as Christian caught him before he could fall to the floor. Christian was stronger than he looked as he helped me half drag half carry Mason out of the room. Dimitri stood at the end of the hallway keeping guard at the foot of the stairs as we pulled Mason along the hallway, Mia darted forward and helped us with him as she stared aghast at the state of his neck.

"He'll need a medic." I said to Dimitri just as Alberta and Stan walked down the steps.

"They've cleared out." Stan said quickly as he surveyed the scene. "Looks like they're last two failed attempts have left them a little bit scared of us."

Not waiting any longer, I took off for the last door on the right. Lissa's head shot up and she let out a little squeak of surprise as I burst through the door. Her eyes met mine and tears streamed down her face as she cried into the gag. I cut the ties and pulled the gag from her mouth.

"Lissa," I pulled her into a hug as I helped her stand. "Don't ever do something like this again."

"I won't." She cried. "Are the others okay?"

Mia's scream echoed through the basement and my steps faltered. They had found Eddie. My heart caught in my throat as Lissa pulled away from me. My legs trembled as I followed her. Dimitri's eyes caught my own as he supported Mia. Lissa ran into the room that they stood beside. I could feel her grief and shock mixing with my own as she pushed Stan away and tried to heal him. Eddie's ghost knelt next to Lissa as she cried, he shook his head at me as he looked at her in sadness. He had been dead for hours, there was no way for her to heal him from that.

"Lissa," I whispered as I pulled her back, "It's too late."

"No," Lissa sobbed as her hands dropped to her sides, "It's my fault. This whole thing was my idea."

There was nothing I could say to make this better so I just held Lissa close. I knew what she was going through. But this wasn't the time for us to be sitting around, we didn't know if the Strigoi would come back or not. I pulled Lissa up and handed her off to Christian as we made our way back up the stairs. Stan had wrapped Eddie in a blanket and carried him with us as Alberta followed. Dimitri led the group while Christian and I both helped support a very groggy Mason.

The walk to the SUV's was solemn and silent until Tasha opened the door to the SUV and jumped out. She had barely made a few steps before a short Strigoi jumped from the branches. I held my stake in my fist as the other guardians surrounded those that we had rescued in an effort to protect them should more Strigoi show up. You could hear Tasha screaming for help until the sudden silence made us all flinch in shock as Galina punched her in her already bruised face and carried her off into the night. Christian slammed into my outstretched arm as he tried to chase after her, but with Alberta's help, we held him back.

"Let me go!" Christian hissed at me as he tried to get free. "We can still save her."

"Stop!" Dimitri's voice stopped him in his tracks. "The other guardians will make their best efforts to find her. I promise."

**End Chapter Twenty**

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**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know.**

**Thank you to everyone who has supported this story! I appreciate all of you!**

**Chapter One of Bonds of Fate is about to be posted. Check it out if you'd like to see this story from Dimitri's POV.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her epicness! :::Sends special brownies and beer:::**


	21. Never Let Me Go

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose wakes up somewhere she never could have imagined; the past. Canon pairings. Rated T for Language, Violence, and some non-graphic lemons. First multi-chapter fic.**

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_Engines roared around us as the plane lifted off. Dimitri murmured something about coming back shortly and left me alone in my seat. I stared straight ahead, studying the details of the seat in front of me. __Someone sat beside me and draped a blanket over my shoulders. I noticed then just how badly I was shivering. I tugged at the edges of the blanket._

_"I'm cold," I said. "How am I so cold?"_

_"You're in shock," Mia answered._

_Frostbite_

_-Richelle Mead_

**Bonds of Time**

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Never Let Me Go**

My head throbbed, making the world around me blur as I sat in the back seat of one of the Academy's vans that we had driven back from the airport. It was still hard to believe that Eddie was gone. It was even worse when his ghost stayed with me until we returned to the lodge, standing next to me, with his hand hovering over mine and Mason's. Mason sat beside me staring lifelessly out of the window. Lissa had healed him as soon as she could when we boarded the jet, but when he had learned of Eddie's death he lost it. They had been best friends, closer than brothers, and I hated that we hadn't made it there in time to save him. Because he had been a good and loyal friend to me and had the potential to be a wonderful guardian, only that would never happen now. Eddie looked so lost and alone as we had passed through the wards that my heart ached for him. He vanished from view with a hand outstretched toward the van as though he wished he could be there with us. I had failed yet again to save one of the people I cared about. It was my fault. If I hadn't been so focused on my own problems and had really checked in on Lissa instead of trying to avoid seeing Tasha, I could have stopped them before they left the lodge.

Christian would not speak to anyone, not even Lissa. His worst fear had come true; the last of his family had been taken by Strigoi. No matter how much I hated Tasha, I would do everything in my power to try and get her back, if only for his sake. My personal feelings never should have been brought into the mix when it came to protecting a Moroi. Mia sat quietly beside Lissa, neither of them had spoken since we left Spokane. Lissa's guilt and fear were flooding through the bond. I absorbed the negative emotions, best as I could, but there was still more building. Dimitri parked the SUV and I opened the door and hopped out. Lissa's hand grasped mine as I helped her step down onto the icy driveway. Christian refused my hand as he brushed past all of us and took of into the lodge. Lissa took off after him as Mia walked with one of the other guardians and helped Mason towards the clinic.

When everyone else had exited the vehicle, I turned around to find Dimitri, but he was in deep conversation with the other guardians. Alberta turned toward me and gave me a small smile as she shooed me away. It was like she was trying to tell me to just go be with my classmates, that I didn't need to be a part of guardian business. It made me feel torn to walk away, I wanted to help but as a novice they still considered me to be inexperienced and useless. For once, I just wanted to be a normal teenager, with normal problems. The wooden doors were heavy and in my tired state it took more effort than it should have to open them. The moment I was inside I was pulled into Adrian's warm arms.

"I heard what happened." He whispered into my hair. "I'm so sorry."

"I was too late. I'm always too late." I gasped as I felt the immense flow of darkness coming from him. "Are you okay?"

Adrian gently pushed me back and stared into my eyes. "Don't worry about me, darling."

"Can we get out of here?" I asked heavily as I felt the stares of the other guests burning into me.

"Let's go up to my room," Adrian suggested nervously, "I have something I want to show you."

"I'm not that kind of girl." I joked halfheartedly.

Adrian shuddered and shook his head. "Let's hope not."

I hooked my arm through his and we went up to his room all the while I tried to help him with the darkness. I didn't know what kind of shit he'd been up to while I was gone, but what ever it was, he needed to stop. The minute he had shut the door, he rushed forward and opened one of the cabinets. He pulled out a tray of silver jewelry and laid them on the table before me. I stared at them in confusion, but when I reached for them I jerked my hand back in surprise.

"They're infused with spirit." I said in wonder as I carefully picked one up.

"All yours, darling." Adrian ran a hand through his hair. "I've been working on them while you were gone."

"This is amazing, Adrian." I carefully set the bracelet back down on the satin tray. "But it's too much. Don't you see the toll it's taking on you?" My hand grasped his tightly as I pulled the rage and despair from him. "Please don't ever do this without me to help you. Look at yourself. You need to take a break."

Adrian pulled a bottle of rum from the cabinet and set it on the counter. "Truer words have never been spoken."

"Hand me that." I said with a stern look as I held my hand out for the bottle.

Adrian reluctantly handed it over and I took it to the sink, popped the cork on the bottle, put it up to my mouth and turned it upside down. After I drank every bit that I could - without choking - I slammed the half empty bottle back down on the granite counter top. The dark emotions were bubbling just beneath the surface, like a ticking time bomb ready for the right moment and then I would not be able to contain it. Without thinking, I drained the rest of the bottle and pulled another one off of the counter top.

"Well," Adrian said with wide eyes, "I was going to get us glasses."

"What? Is this to uncivilized for you, richboy?" I held up the bottle and took another sip.

"You keep that one." Adrian pulled a new bottle from the cabinet and winked at me as he held it up. "I've got my own."

"I didn't offer to give this one back." I said jokingly as I clutched the liquor to my chest.

It felt good to let loose a little bit. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and shook it out as I cracked my neck. Adrian grimaced at the sound as he took a sip of bourbon from his bottle. His eyes lit up at the taste as he stared at the bottle in wonder. Already I could feel the alcohol dulling the negativity that spirit brought and I knew that, for him, it would work even better considering he had been sober for a week before.

"I've missed you." He crooned at the bottle. "Did you miss me?"

"That's just fucked up." I shook my head while I tried to contain my giggles.

"Come here, little dhampir." He held his arms out for me and I walked to him. He pulled me into a hug and squeezed my shoulders. "I missed you too, Rose."

My eyes watered uncontrollably and a shudder ran through me, causing Adrian to hold me even tighter as he kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for minutes as I tried to pull myself together. I wanted to forget that stupid dream. Like a light bulb flickering on in my head, the idea flared to life as I pushed myself away from Adrian and looked up into his brilliant green eyes. The world blurred around me and went out of focus for a moment and then everything popped back to into place. My heart felt lighter. I felt good, far better than I had in a while. The grief for Eddie and my mother was still there, but something was different, something had changed.

My head spun and I shook my head as confusion washed over me. "What the hell was that?"

"Can't hold your liquor, darling?" Adrian asked me with a cocky smirk on his face, as he sat on the couch across the room.

"You wish." I raised an eyebrow at him as I picked up the bottle off the counter. "You're just worried I'll drink it all."

"There's a never ending supply downstairs." Adrian smiled at me as he pointed to the bottle I was holding.

I took a deep long drink and almost choked on the fumes. Trying to make sense of those lost moments, I replayed the past few minutes in my mind, and the last thing I remembered was Adrian hugging me. After carefully considering the shit that I had gone through over the past few days, I labeled it as plain old exhaustion and let it go. My head still ached fiercely as I carried the bottle over to the couch and laid down. As a dhampir, it was well ingrained in my genes to adapt to any situation and move on. And at that moment, it was exactly what I needed to do. As though he could read my mind, Adrian turned on the radio and let the electric sounds of Led Zeppelin float through the speakers.

The music drowned out everything and I lost myself in the heavy guitar riffs and the alcohol induced hazed. I stood up on the couch belting out the lyrics to Kashmir as Adrian moved to stand on the coffee table in front of me. We sang, we danced and we just _were_. Everything else could be dealt with later. Adrian's eyes lit up as I did a back flip over the couch and started playing the air guitar like a boss. He busted out laughing as I banged my head and danced against the refrigerator with my eyes closed.

"What on earth are you doing?" Lissa said as she stood there, in the open doorway, staring at me in surprise and horror.

Adrian paused the music as he stared between us with narrowed eyes, as I took a stumbling step towards her. "Lissy!"

"How could you be drinking and dancing right now?" She asked me as her eyes filled with tears. "Tasha has been taken by Strigoi and Eddie -your friend- is dead! And you're in here having the time of your life as though they don't even matter!"

"I'm sorry, Lissa." I whispered as I walked out of room, having to use the wall to support myself as I stumbled through the hallways with a heavy heart.

Dimitri's door was open and I walked in and sat down on the bed without a word as I watched him move around the room, throwing clothes into his bag.

"You're leaving." I said as he put on his duster.

"I've been assigned to the rescue group that is going to search for Tasha." He responded plainly. "I know that you don't like her, but she used to be a friend and she still deserves to be saved."

"I understand," I nodded and put my head down. "They come first."

Dimitri's hand grasped my chin and tilted my head up as he knelt down in front of me. "I love you, Roza. But I have to do this."

"I totally get it." I said as I leaned my forehead against his. "I'd do the same for any of my friends."

"Promise me that you will stay here and guard the Princess?" His eyes searched mine as I not to imagine all of the horrible things that could happen to him out there. "You have to promise me. I can't be worrying about you while I'm trying to find her."

"I promise." I said honestly. "But if something bad happens I will track your tall ass down. Don't think I won't do it."

"I'd never doubt that." He chuckled lowly as he kissed me gently on the lips, ignoring the fact that I probably smelled like a brewery.

"How long will you be gone?" I swallowed thickly as I blinked back my tears.

"A week or two at the most." Dimitri said in a tone that made me look at him. "That's all the time the other Royals will allow me."

"Are you going alone?" I asked worriedly.

"No, there are five other guardians assigned to the case." He said as he brushed my hair back. "I have to go, I'm already running late."

_No._ I wanted to say. _Stay here, with me._ But I didn't. I kissed him deeply one last time as he grasped my hand tightly in his own. His eyes bored into mine as he pulled away, then turned around and walked out of the room as I sat on the bed with my heart beating hard behind my rib cage. My legs shook when I stood up moments later and the lump in my throat almost made it hard to breathe. My feet carried me slowly out of the room and I shut the door behind me as I walked all the way to the third floor balcony. Snow covered the deck as I walked out and stood there, leaning on the handrail, and watched as the SUV pulled out of the driveway and drove through the open gates. The further away he got, the harder it was for me to try and contain the tears until finally, when I lost sight of the vehicle, I let them fall.

* * *

The last few days at the lodge were spent silently guarding Lissa from a distance while she tried to console an even broodier than normal Christian. He had withdrawn into himself and had barely even spoken to anyone. Lissa took his meals to his room where the two would stay sitting silently or just lying down side by side on his bed. Lissa's distress flowed through the bond during these times and I tried my best to pull the negativity away, hoping to be able to comfort her at least a little bit while she helped Christian cope. We had gone to Eddie's memorial service together, but Lissa still hadn't spoken to me since that first night after Spokane. I felt her guilt and pain, but there wasn't much else that I could do to help her.

"I'm sorry about the other night." Lissa said suddenly while we were packing our things and preparing to return to the Academy. "I didn't mean to say what I did."

"You did mean it, Lissa," I looked up at her, "I felt it. But I understand."

"No, Rose!" She said as she threw her bag down on the bed. "You don't understand! It was all my fault that we went to Spokane in the first place. Had I not told the others what Tasha told me about the Strigoi hideout then it never would have happened! Tasha would have never been taken! Eddie...Eddie would still be here. It was my fault. And when I saw you with Adrian I just lost it. You've been through a lot and if that's what you needed to do to feel better than it wasn't my place to judge you for it. I have no right to judge anyone."

My heart broke for her because I knew exactly how she felt. It wasn't the kind of guilt that just went away over time. It was something that you always had to live with. I walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She stood there stiffly in my arms for a moment and then broke down crying.

"Hey, now." I said when she started to hiccup and gasp for breath. "We'll get through this. Together. Like always."

"Together." She coughed. "Will you forgive me?"

"No need for all that." I patted her on the back. "If you want to you can help me pack while I go look for my other bra."

"But where would it..." She trailed off and her eyes met mine and she choked on a giggle as she wiped her tears away. "Dimitri's room?"

At hearing his name, the smile died on my face and Lissa looked appalled that she had brought it up. "Oh, Rose."

"It's all good." I waved off her concern. "I just better find it before someone else does. We can't have Alto thinking that Dimitri likes to run around in drag."

Lissa's eyes widened as she stared at me. We both broke down laughing at the thought and ended up collapsed against the side of the couch clutching our sides. When I was able to compose myself without walking out of the room looking like a total idiot, I stood up and helped her to her feet, then left Lissa to pack as I went back upstairs. I hadn't left anything in his room, but I needed to go back there. My steps faltered when I saw Christian walking out of his room with his bag slung over his shoulder. He looked like he hadn't slept in days or even bothered to shower.

Without asking, I walked up to him and grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the stairs.

"What the hell?" He groused as I tugged him towards the feeder rooms.

"Shut up and follow, Sparky." I hissed at him. "I'm not one for using kid gloves. So man up and get over it."

By the time I pulled him to our destination he knew where we were going and he tugged at my arm as he tried to pull away. "I don't need to feed."

"If you fight me I will hurt you." I told him plainly.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but gave in as I pushed him into the room with a rather dazed looking woman. With a grimace in their direction, I turned around and waited for him to finish. He walked out ten minutes later looking slightly better than he had before and that was enough for me. I put his bag over my shoulder and hooked my arm through his as I pulled him back up the stairs.

"That wasn't necessary." He said in irritation as he tried to break free.

I pushed him back against the wall of the stairwell and gave him a pointed look. "You're hurting right now, and I'm sorry about that. But I can't sit by and watch a friend give up. I promise you that if the rescue group can't find your aunt, then I will."

"You don't even like her." He pushed himself away from the wall. "Why should you care?"

"You're my friend, you arrogant ass." I said as I followed him. "And I will keep my word."

He turned around and stared at me with an indiscernible look in his eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." I shrugged. "So get over it, flame boy. You're stuck with me."

He walked with me back up to mine and Lissa's room and she smiled when I walked in, but it vanished when she saw him standing there. I swear that they looked like a couple of lost puppies as they stared at each other and it made me want to smack them both. But fortunately, Christian smiled at Lissa and she ran into his arms as he spun her around and they lost themselves in each other's eyes. Adrian knocked quietly on the door frame and quirked an eyebrow at the other two who were apparently about to do something that I really didn't want to witness. I tiptoed out of the room and sat down against the wall opposite of the room as Adrian slipped down next to me.

"Well that was interesting." He said as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

I chuckled as I closed my eyes. "Are you coming back to the Academy with us?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Adrian put his arm around me. "Are you okay?"

"I miss him." I said quietly. "It's only been a few days, but I miss him."

"I'm sorry, darling." He rubbed my arm. "But he'll be back before you know it."

An hour later we were all on the private jet, heading back to the Academy. Adrian sat beside me as I watched the clouds pass by below us, my head leaning against the cool glass, as I imagined the clouds being made out marshmallows. As a safety precaution, we would be landing during the day, to try and avoid the Strigoi, and it was throwing off my sleep schedule. My eyes closed as Adrian held my hand and I quickly fell into a deep and restful sleep. The weird part was, when I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the plane. I was standing in a tiny hotel room in Moscow and in front of me was none other than Dimitri.

**End Chapter Twenty One**

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know. **

**I've written a small piece from Adrian's POV called The Missing Minutes it's about the moments that Rose can't account for here in chapter 21. Send a review or PM and I'll send it to you. Also look for me on Twitter RebSilverthorne for chapter snippets, updates, and random craziness.**

**Special thanks to Caden29 for her wonderful work. We've written a wonderful and funny story that's starting to be a crazy and wild ride. It's called "This Means War" you can find it in my stories. Check it out and let us know what you think.**

**:::Sends out Vodka and rubber duckies:::**


	22. Adrian's Interlude

**When Rose is shot by Tasha Ozera in Last Sacrifice, both Lissa and Adrian use all of the Spirit they can wield to try and bring her back. In a shocking turn of events, Rose wakes up somewhere she never could have imagined; the past. Canon pairings. Rated T for Language, Violence, and some non-graphic lemons. First multi-chapter fic.**

* * *

_My eyes watered uncontrollably and a shudder ran through me, causing Adrian to hold me even tighter as he kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for minutes as I tried to pull myself together. I wanted to forget that stupid dream. Like a light bulb flickering on in my head, the idea flared to life as I pushed myself away from Adrian and looked up into his brilliant green eyes. The world blurred around me and went out of focus for a moment and then everything popped back to into place. My heart felt lighter. I felt good, far better than I had in a while. The grief for Eddie and my mother was still there, but something was different, something had changed._

_My head spun and I shook my head as confusion washed over me. "What the hell was that?"_

_"Can't hold your liquor, darling?" Adrian asked me with a cocky smirk on his face, as he sat on the couch across the room._

_I took a deep long drink and almost choked on the fumes. Trying to make sense of those lost moments, I replayed the past few minutes in my mind, and the last thing I remembered was Adrian hugging me. After carefully considering the shit that I had gone through over the past few days, I labeled it as plain old exhaustion and let it go. My head still ached fiercely as I carried the bottle over to the couch and laid down._

_**-Bonds of Time**_

_**Mid - Chapter 21**_

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**The Missing Minutes**

**Adrian's POV**

Rose Hathaway appeared out of nowhere during the worst part of my young life. She was an enigma, a mystery, that captured my heart in one single night. I'd been touring France with my Aunt, drinking myself into a stupor and wishing that I could find an end to the madness my life had been wrought with.

After the fifth bottle of Cabernet disappeared, I passed out face first on my bed, relishing in the peace that the dream world brought me. But then she showed up, looking like a goddess, and acting as though she was as surprised to see me as I was to see her. From that night onward her face was the only one I wanted to see. I knew she was no more than a figment of my alcohol addled mind, but I couldn't bring myself to push her away. I needed her in my life, real or not. She brought me a little bit of respite from my own darkness.

Everyone around me noticed the change in my attitude and more than once I almost mentioned her, but knew that speaking of an imaginary woman would end up with me locked in a padded cell. So I began to research the small tidbits of information that Rose would give me. While vague in her descriptions, she was completely right about the mysterious fifth element; spirit. From there I researched the bond she shared with her best friend and the affects it had on her.

Then one night in late October, I made a very rash decision. While the cost of the phone and the shipping price were nothing to me, the thought of there being no one to receive it was soul crushing. What would I do if it was returned and there was no Rose Hathaway? What if I was sending a phone to some random student who would have no clue of who I was? What if she really was just a figment of my imagination? I didn't think I could bear the loss and disappointment such a revelation would bring.

All of my fears and worries were for naught. When she called, her voice was just as I'd dreamed, her feisty attitude and sense of humor were exactly the same. I had to meet her. What I'd first thought of as a simple crush had drastically turned into so much more. I was in love with her, or at least I thought I was.

It wasn't until that fateful night, when the two of us played that damned board game, did I realize that while my love for her was very real, it wasn't a romantic love. It boggled my mind to think that I could care for someone so much and not expect a relationship. Rose was my soul sister, my best friend, my partner in crime. Seeing her distraught and wracked with grief almost brought me to my knees.

"I don't want to know the future anymore." She whispered in that heartbroken voice. "Make me forget that dream."

"That wouldn't be wise, little dhampir." I told her honestly, watching the darkness grow in her aura. "You had that dream for a reason. And I've never been one to mess around with fate like that. She's a rather fickle mistress that doesn't take kindly to being fucked with."

"Please," She pleaded, tears running down her face while she trembled in my arms. "Knowing all of this. Feeling all of this. It's too much."

Without warning, I grabbed the sides of her face and stared deep into those chocolate brown eyes. "I'm going to tell you something, Rose, and I want you to believe it with all your heart. What has happened is not your fault. You may have knowledge of the future, but it's not your responsibility to change it. You need to share the burden. You can't keep going on like this, shutting everyone out and trying to tackle this all by yourself. You _can_ ask for help."

"You've become the best friend that I never dreamed I'd have and I'll never be able to pay you back for that." I watched as her eyes unfocused and she seemed as though she would collapse while I grabbed one of the silver bracelets from the counter and placed it on her wrist. "I love you, Rose. And I never want to lose you."

The sounding of the door shutting quietly almost broke my concentration, but when I looked up, I found that the room was still empty other than the two of us. I wondered who would have walked in and left without a word.

I stared back down at Rose and hoped that it would work. "Forget that we ever had this conversation."

We'd spent many hours together over the past few months and she was easily one of the most important people in my life. She was so alive and so beautiful that I had hoped that we could be something more. But as time went on, I realized that I loved her like a sister. She was family to me. And I would always be there to help her in anything that she needed. No matter the cost.

**End Chapter 22 Adrian's POV**

* * *

_Hello….It's me.. I'm back to say I'm sorry for how late I seem to be._

_Are any of you still reading? _

_I've been going through and touching up Bonds of Time and as of today I'm up to chapter 9 in my edits. If there is an error in continuity or spelling, please point it out to me in a review or PM. I'd very much appreciate it as I get my editing on._

_The next chapter is just a few paragraphs away from being finished. I've also just finished reading The Ruby Circle and have had major inspiration for a plot twist for Bonds of Time and Bonds of Fate. This is just about the halfway point of the story._

_Peace, Love, and never-ending weekends._

**_-Bex_**


	23. The Weekend

_"How are you feeling lately?" I asked, recalling her concerns about the medication. "You still feel like the pills aren't working?"_

_"Mmm…well, it's hard to explain. I still feel closer to the magic, like __maybe they aren't blocking me so much anymore. But I'm not feeling any of __the other mental side effects…not upset or anything."_

_"Wow, that's great."_

_A beautiful smile lit her face. "I know. It makes me think there might be hope for me to learn to work the magic after all someday."_

_Seeing her so happy made me smile back. I hadn't liked seeing those dark feelings starting to return and was glad they'd vanished. I didn't understand the how or the why, but as long as she felt okay. _

— _Everyone has light around them, except for you. You have shadows. You take them from Lissa. - Adrian's words slammed into my mind._

_Frostbite_

**_-Richelle Mead_**

**Bonds of Time**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**The Weekend**

Dimitri stood on the other side of the shabby room, his silhouette tall and broad as he watched the city far below. Adrian leaned on the wall next to me, and quirked an eyebrow at me in silent encouragement.

I coughed quietly, gaining Dimitri's attention, causing him to spin around and pin me with a piercing look.

"Roza," Dimitri stared, his gaze roaming over my body. "What are you wearing?"

My eyes dropped down to inspect my clothing, and I immediately wanted to beat the hell out of a certain spirit user. A black leather catsuit was not what I wanted to wear for my reunion with Dimitri. I cut my eyes over to said dream-scape manager and growled lowly in my throat.

Adrian looked guilty as he darted off to hide behind the worn out couch before Dimitri noticed his presence.

"You look tired." I blurted out then grimaced at the wry look he shot me.

"This mission has been far more difficult than I anticipated." Dimitri took a few steps toward me then stopped.

My heart ached for him and I took the last few steps with a speed I didn't know I was capable of. My arms wrapped around him and I let out a shaky breath, finally feeling whole and alive again.

"I've missed you." I whispered, ignoring Adrian, as my feet carried me forward until I was just a few inches away from him.

Staring up into his eyes, my heart felt like it was going to burst with relief and joy as I pulled him into a kiss. Dimitri kissed me back slow and hesitant at first then deepened it as he pulled me up in his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist as I ran my hands through his silky hair.

"I know I'm only dreaming, but it feels so real." Dimitri lifted my chin with his fingers and stared into my eyes.

He thought he was dreaming. He didn't believe that I was actually real.

"I love you." I whispered against his lips.

"The depth of my love for you is unfathomable, Roza." Dimitri pinned me with a kiss that left a trail of heat along my jawline and down my neck.

My hands roamed his muscular body in reverence and worship as he unzipped my leather suit and found the large scar made by the emergency flare.

"You're going to be the death of me." Dimitri growled lowly.

"Don't ever say that." I pushed him back, harder than I'd intended, leaving him peering down at me with an undecipherable look on his face.

"I apologize." He bowed his head, not taking his eyes off me.

"How's the search going?" I hoped for good news. "Have you found any sign of Tasha?"

Dimitri sighed deeply as he reached out and ran a hand down the side of my face. "We've lost the trail. The others have been called back immediately due to an emergency at court."

"What's happened?" I asked worriedly.

"Victor Ivashkov's transport to Tarasov was attacked by Strigoi." Dimitri's tone was dark and low. "There were no survivors."

Chills crept up my spine as I realized just how drastically things had changed. "When are you coming home?"

"I spent the past two nights in Baia with my family, before coming here to Moscow. I have one more lead to follow, but I should be home in the next few days." He said quickly.

"How are they?" I noticed as his grip on my arms tightened slightly as his forehead creased in worry.

"They are fine." He shook his head. "My grandmother worries me though. I think her age is getting to her."

"Yeva is tougher than you think," I said and then backtracked quickly. "I mean you said that she was pretty bad ass back in the day."

Dimitri gave me a long searching look. "She's been speaking of crazy things. It scares the children when she rambles on about spirits and ghosts, always telling them to avoid the cities and main roads."

"She's just worried." I tried to brush it off, but knew deep down that Yeva wasn't wrong in her warnings. "It's a good thing to listen to your elders. Wiseness and all that shit."

"Grandmother told me you've seen the future." Dimitri stated flatly.

I froze for the briefest second, not noticeable to anyone but him and looked up with my best innocent expression, as I slowly backed away. "I'm sorry, what?"

Unfortunately, Adrian was not as practiced as I in sub-diversion. He poked his head over the couch. "Damn girl, you're on your own." He whispered before he ducked back down again.

"Ivashkov!" Dimitri narrowed his eyes at Adrian and marched toward him. "What are you doing here?"

"A spirit dream, I swear!" Adrian held up his hands. "Rosie missed you so I surprised her with this little arrangement."

Dimitri turned to look at me as I mentally hissed a million curses at my idiotic, big mouthed friend. "My grandmother chewed me out quite harshly, in front of my entire family, for how oblivious I've been. And for how I hadn't recognized the signs of someone with a gift like hers."

"Did she get into the bad vodka again?" I shook my head and frowned as I took a few more steps towards Adrian.

"She's always claimed she could see glimpses of the future." Dimitri took a step toward me. "I never really believed her. But I've always trusted her intuition. Now I'm not so sure.."

I stared him down as Adrian started choking on his breath behind me. "Hey Rose, can I..."

"NO Adrian, I will not get you any Russian vodka." I ground out, interrupting his request. I turn back to my Russian and simply stated, "We can talk about this when you come home."

I looked back at Adrian, and the dream-scape began to waver. The dream-scape faded away and I find myself back in my seat on the plane.

I slapped the shit out of the person sitting next to me. "You grew up in court. You could not have survived this long without a better poker face! What the hell, Adrian?!"

"He's scary, darling." Adrian gave me a long look. "Plus, he needs to know."

"He doesn't need to know." I hissed at him as I gripped my aching head between my hands. "He is just fine without knowing. Everything that happens now he's just going to feel bad about."

He rubbed my back consolingly. "Did you take that into consideration when you told me?"

"Of course I did!" I said quickly. "I just thought that you'd be too drunk to remember."

Adrian waved his arms madly in the air, "You don't forget that shit, Rose! When a beautiful women that you've never seen before shows up in your dreams and knows intimate things about you, you have a tendency to remember!"

"So sorry!" I apologized. "But you were the only person I could trust with that information. You're very lucky that I didn't say more about the future that I saw."

Adrian looked suddenly shifty, "Oh really darling? What else is there you haven't mentioned?"

"You tried to make out with a moose on your 22nd birthday after chasing it through the forest and proclaiming your love for it." I deadpanned as Adrian looked horrified. "Your mother's Guardian had to rescue you."

"That's not true." He looked at me in denial, but seeing the serious look on my face, he yelped. "They found out?!"

"Oh, it happened stud muffin, they caught it on camera right after the incident with the squirrel."

"NO!" He cried out and put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "No more! Not the squirrel!"I couldn't help it after that, I busted out laughing and fell to my knees.

"I thought that was just a rumor." I shrugged my shoulders as I picked a bottle of vodka out of the little basket. "Thanks for the confirmation though."

"It was a complete accident!" He said desperately.

"Whatever." I rubbed my face and groaned. "You're officially helping me with damage control. Like the moose and squirrel, we are going to deny any kind of dream walk ever happened tonight. You got that?"

"Denial." Adrian sighed. "How boring. You know he's going to feel very betrayed and hurt when he finds out you've hidden this from him."

"I'd rather he hate me than end up dead." I pulled my knees up to my chin.

* * *

Lissa was at my side the second the plane landed, looking tired, but better than she had the previous day. Christian was to her right and nodded at me in greeting as we waited for Nurse Agnes to help Mason down the steps. It broke my heart to see him looking so lost and empty, and it was made no better by the swarms of dark spirits hovering around us.

Cold hollow eyes glared at me. Icy hands reached for me. I plunged my hand into my coat pocket in search of the bracelet Adrian had made me, and came up empty. The visage of my mother stood before me, her eyes wide and staring up at me as she shook her head angrily.

"Rose?" Adrian walked right through her spectral form and cocked his head to the side in question.

"Bracelet." I hissed out, feeling at the end of my tether with sanity.

"Shit." Adrian gulped, digging through his bag and then marvelously dropping the contents. I could smell the alcohol wafting off of him and new it wasn't clumsiness.

"Got it!" He crowed, kneeling in front of me, arm outstretched with a beautiful silver ring pinched between his fingers. "Well put it on."

The muttering and whispering of the crowd grew louder by the second and I slapped a hand to my face while reaching for the ring with the other. "I hate you."

Adrian noticed our audience then realized his position. "Nothing to see here. Move along."

"How sweet." Camille Conta smirked sarcastically. "Finally find yourself in a bad spot, Rose?"

"You have no idea." I smiled back with maniacal sweetness.

She cringed and walked away, chatting with her buddies.

"Tell me you didn't propose?" Lissa giggled, holding on to Christian's arm.

"Not intentionally." Adrian shrugged. "It'd suck to be bound to this one. None of the perks are worth it."

Thankfully, the ring had done it's job, and I used it's magic to ground myself and block out the spirits before they could tear me apart. It'd been so long since they'd affected me that way that my recovery time was crawling at a snails pace. I felt itchy all over, like something was completely wrong. It unnerved me.

_Bound to this one. Bound to this one._ Adrian's words replayed over and over in my mind. _Nah, I couldn't be bound to him._ I thought, mentally shaking my head at the sheer insanity of the idea. _I just couldn't be._

As soon as the doors to the SUV were shut, I popped my earbuds in and blared my happiest tunes as loud as my ipod would allow, keeping my eyes closed and trying my best to block out the outside world. I didn't want to see the judging disappointed faces of the dead any longer.

Someone shoved my shoulder and I started violently, having been pulled from my light doze and automatically thought I was under attack. My fist clipped someone's hair and a muffled _**oof**_ snapped me out of my sleepy haze.

Dean Barnes laid sprawled out on the concrete drive in front of the Academy's parking garage, staring up at me in shock. "Sorry, Hathaway."

"My bad." I hopped out and extended a hand to help him up. "I've been a bit on edge."

"I'd hate to be your alarm clock." He grumbled, shaking his head and rubbing his back as he walked away.

"Nice swing." Christian commented, exiting the SUV and holding a hand out for Lissa.

"You look rough, Rose." Lissa observed, pulling me into a hug.

Picking up her bag and mine, I followed behind the lovebirds. "I need a years worth of showers and sleep."

"Go ahead, Rose." Lissa quirked a grin at me. "Christian and I are going to the chapel."

"Don't come crying to me when you both get struck by lightning." I shook my head at them.

"We'll take our chances." Christian smirked, pulling Lissa closer to his side.

My grimace must have spoke volumes because Lissa giggled and tugged Christian into a jog, leaving me there with the bags. I looked around at the other groggy students, all shuffling towards there dormitories, and wondered where Adrian was lurking. His convoy had made a trip into the small town and hadn't made it back while I was sleepfighting.

* * *

After spending an insane amount of time in the shower I changed into my most comfortable pajamas, intending to sleep until Dimitri returned, but sleep eluded me. My mind failed to shut down long enough for me to relax. Doing the only thing I could think of to ease the ache in my heart, I changed back into my running gear and exited the room.

I was almost to the door when the door to the nearest suite swung open and Adrian emerged, glassy eyed and smelling strongly of alcohol.

"Rosie, darling!" He crooned. "You must have read my mind."

"You want to go jogging?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, pulling me into his room. "I've just finished stocking the bar."

My gaze went to the kitchen, or what I could see of it beneath the bottles of liquor that covered every surface. "Holy shit! Did you empty the store?"

"Just about." He shrugged smugly. "Will you join me?"

I looked forlornly at the door, but knew that running wouldn't be as cathartic as a fifth of something nasty. "Why not?"

The next two days were spent in a haze of glorious numbness that left my mind foggy and my body sluggish. By Sunday evening, I was a wreck and spent almost an hour under the hot spray of the shower trying to scrub the alcohol out of my pores. I put on my uniform and pulled my hair up into a bun, dreading the long night before me.

Lissa patted the chair next to her when I stumbled into the cafeteria for breakfast. "Where the hell were you all weekend?" She kept her voice down and a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Adrian." My single word gave her more than enough information to answer all of her questions.

"You have glitter in your hair and you seriously need some eye drops. Your eyes are the color of tomatoes." Lissa pushed her untouched tray of food in front of me. "I'll go get another one."

I shoveled the hot food into my mouth halfheartedly, not feeling hungry at all and still slightly nauseous from all the drinking. But emotionally, I felt better than I had in a while, or I would have, had there not been that persistent ache in my heart.

Lissa sat down with another tray, smiling over at Christian when he walked in the door. "Guardian Belikov returned a few hours ago."

My entire body woke up at the news and I itched to turn and search for him, but knew that I had to keep my giddiness on the down low. "Where?"

Lissa poked out her bottom lip and shook her head. "I saw him in the office, he's not _here_ here."

"Oh." I sighed, pushing the empty tray away from me.

"Hey, Hathaway." Dean called out from his table. "We get our assignments for field trials today. Try not to punch anyone."

"I make no promises." I groused back, patting Lissa's shoulder and pushing my chair in.

The whole trek to the gym was spent in a veil of apprehension that didn't subside. I'd dreaded this day for weeks. There was no telling who I'd be assigned to. With my luck it'd be Jesse Zeklos or Camille Conta and I didn't think I'd feel much like protecting either of them. But I would. I knew that. It just didn't sit well with me that I didn't know which course the future would take.

But I did know enough that I totally zoned out while Alberta and Alto explained the trials in excruciating detail. We'd be assigned to a random Moroi student and spend the next six weeks protecting them from any and all threats for the next six days. We wouldn't leave their sight for any reason what so ever. We had from Saturday night to Sunday night to ourselves, the rest of the week we'd be on their ass like mosquitoes.

"Mason Ashford," Alberta called out, "you're with Camille Conta."

Mason's eyes widened dramatically as he stepped down to receive the packet of information from Stan. Meredith clenched her fist and I sent her a sympathetic smile. Camille's reputation with the male population was right on par with mine, but she had experience to back hers up, whereas most of the rumors about me were wildly exaggerated.

"Meredith Jacobs," Stan announced, "you're with Vasilisa Dragomir."

Meredith turned to me in shock, but I shook my head and smiled, letting her know that I was okay with Alberta's choice. Meredith would take good care of Lissa.

"Shane Reyes," Alberta held a packet out, "Christian Ozera."

"Rosemarie Hathaway," I looked at Stan with thinly veiled suspicion. "Adrian Ivashkov."

My jaw dropped and I forced myself to shut it back and walk down to accept my packet. Being assigned to Adrian would be a nightmare. He didn't take any classes and spent most of his time drinking holed up in his room. The Guardians would have to stage in a break in if they wanted to test my skills. Not to mention I was still hungover from the weekend and couldn't contemplate how the next six weeks would be remotely survivable for either of us. Death by glitter bombs and kamikazes. I wanted to scream and cry, then maybe hit something.

Stan handed me the packet and I grimaced as I went to stand next to the other assigned novices. When Alberta was finished handing out the death sentences, she walked over and gave me a pointed look.

"I know it's unconventional," she started, holding her hand up to keep me from arguing. "Mr. Ivashkov will be staying here for an extended time and volunteered to be part of the trials. As our most experienced novice, I'm fully confidant that you can handle him."

"Do you expect me to shadow him as the other novices do or am I supposed to be keeping him out of trouble?" I asked with a feigned calm.

Alberta just sighed deeply, looking harassed. "Do what you can. We wont hold his actions against you. Just know that you will be graded on your professionalism and overall ability to handle a difficult assignment."

I put my head in my hands and groaned when she walked away. I stalked out the door and was ready to find something to destroy when I spotted it.

In the middle of the quad, next to the fountain was a picture of Eddie, surrounded by candles and flowers. Guilt overwhelmed me. I should have done more. I should have been faster. But I could do better. I wouldn't let it happen again.

_I'm sorry, Eddie._

A gust of wind blew in from between the buildings, blowing out the candles and removing the orange glow candlelight from the dimly lit walkway. A figure in the distance caught my eye and I recognized the tall form even at the other side of the commons. I followed him with my gaze, but didn't trust myself to move. He was walking across the commons to the Guardian buildings, his duster billowing out behind him. I wanted to run up to him and hug him. I wanted to pull him back to my room and kiss him until neither of us could breathe. Instead I put my head down and went back to the dorms, hoping to speak to Lissa before my assignment began.

Our room was quiet and empty so I used the time to get a few things together for the long trial period, mainly what little bit of sanity I had left and a few changes of uniforms. There was a light knock on the door and I was building up my rant to Adrian when I flung the door open to find Dimitri standing there instead.

"Is the Princess here?" He asked quietly, hands behind his back.

"Nope." I quirked a smile and pulled him into the room before shutting and locking the door.

"How was your trip?" I asked as curiously as I could, trying not to act like the horny teenage girl that I very much was.

Dimitri leaned down until his face was level with mine. "Don't you already know?"

Oh shit. "Know what? I haven't heard anything other than you and the other Guardians returned earlier."

"Really?" He peered into my eyes, pinning me with the intensity of his gaze.

Unable to hold it back any longer, I launched myself at him, burying my hands in his hair and pulling his soft lips to mine. His long fingers gripped my thighs and drug them upwards until they covered my ass. I moaned as he pressed me firmly up against his lithe body, wanting and needing more.

My breath hitched when his hands roamed up under my jacket and blouse, grazing the sensitive skin on my lower stomach. It seemed as though he was trying to replay what had happened in the dream and I was more than willing to pick up where we left off.

"I've missed you, comrade." I whispered breathlessly.

We didn't break our kiss until my bedroom door was also shut and locked. Then clothes went flying, scattering in very direction as we fought to keep our hands off each other. Dimitri lifted me up and placed me in the center of the bed and crawled toward me, his muscles flexing, making him look like a lion going in for the kill. It was quite possibly the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. His slow and gentle pace did nothing to ease the need I felt for him and I let him know by flipping him onto his back and straddling him.

By the end of our session, I was breathless, sweaty, and in severe need of water. But laying there beside him was far too impossible to resist. He was lying on his side, facing me, his eyes following the path of his fingers that were ghosting along my thigh and side.

"What are you thinking about, Roza?" Dimitri ran his fingers along my rib cage.

"I don't ever want to leave this bed." I answered, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't want you to leave it either."

"We can't stay here." He stated nonsensically.

"I know." I shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I don't want just that."

"What are you afraid to face out there?" He questioned curiously.

Everything and nothing. "Did you hear about my assignment?"

"Ivashkov." Dimitri said gruffly. "Do you want me to speak to Alberta?"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't want to cause a fuss."

"You have no need to fear him." The vehemence in his tone warmed my heart. "If he's causing you any problems..."

"He's just being Adrian." I laughed. "The only problems he causes are harmless and unintentional. I'm more worried about my sanity than anything. The majority of the student body is convinced that he proposed because I'm pregnant with his love child."

"What?" Dimitri growled. "Why would such a rumor be spread?"

"Lissa and Adrian have been trying to infuse jewelry with spirit to help me fight away it's worse effects." I tried to calm him down. "He dropped the ring when we were on the landing pad and it looked like he was proposing when the big idiot handed it to me." I lifted my hand and showed him the little ring. "It's mojo is already wearing off."

Dimitri stared at the ring and I swear I could see thousands of emotions drifting threw his eyes, but I couldn't place a name on any of them. "We have little time before you have to be in the cafeteria."

"We have more than enough time." I pulled him into another kiss.

Half and hour later my hair was wet from our shower, and back up in it's bun when I exited my room dressed in a fresh unwrinkled uniform.

"Why hello, little dhampir." Adrian laughed from the couch.

"Get your feet off of my coffee table." I hissed at him. "How did you get in here? I locked the door.

"Moody, darling. Lissa gave me a spare key." He showed me the offending piece of metal and moved his feet as I sat down next to him. "Have you heard the good news?"

"Oh yes." I clapped my hands together and smirked. "We're going to have so much fun."

Dimitri glared at Adrian when he stepped out of the room. "Ivashkov."

"Belikov." Adrian replied in a mocking deep voice.

Ignoring their macho bullshit, I flopped down on the couch next to my weirdo friend. "Since you don't have any classes for me to follow you to, I'll be spending the next six weeks teaching you to fight and defend yourself."

"I'm really more of a lover." Adrian leaned away from me.

"Too bad." I patted his arm. "You're not getting shit from me."

Adrian turned to Dimitri with a look of shock and horror. "How do you stand her?"

"She will never need to protect me." Dimitri stated in all seriousness.

He'd never know just how wrong he was with that simple statement. I knew it and looking at Adrian screamed that he knew just how hard those words would be for me to hear.

"I'll be your warrior." Adrian smiled crookedly at me.

Dimitri placed a large hand on Adrian's shoulder. "A word please."

Adrian's eyes widened and I shrugged not knowing what was going on, but trusting that they'd work it out.

They left minutes before I did, giving me just enough time to grab my bag and make my way to the cafeteria all alone.

Lunch and dinner passed by and all through both I scanned my surroundings searching for any sign of them, but they weren't anywhere to be found. _What if Dimitri asked Adrian about the dream in Russia? What if Adrian told him the truth? How pissed was Dimitri?_

My worries stayed throughout the day, but answers wouldn't be found for quite some time.

**End Chapter 23**

* * *

**Next chapter will cover the trials. Adrian is going to give Rose hell and together they will figure out what will happen in the near future.**


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